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62EZRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



"SAY, FELLOWS 



"Say, Fellows-" 



Fifty Practical Talks with 
Boys On Life's Big Issues 



By 
WADE C. SMITH 

Author of "The Little Jeits Telling 
Bible Stories " 




New York Chicago 

Fleming H. Revell Company 

London and Edinburgh 



Copyright, 1 921, by 
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 



- 



IA*V 



Adapted from the Author's weekly Sunday School 
Lesson Treatments in The Sunday School Times, 
by permission of the Editors. 



OEC 12 1921 



New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh : 75 Princes Street 

©CLA630748 



Dedicated to 

her whose instruction and example 
first inspired in me the purposes 
and ideals which make for patience > 
cotirage, endurance and faith — 

MY MOTHER 



Introduction 

11 "M M" Y teacher told me to write a composition 
\/| on the last picture I looked at," said 

-i- ▼ JL Henry, a sixth grader, when he came in 
from school the other day. " I had seen a picture of 
a fire engine," he added, " so I wrote : 

" ' With a clatter of hoofs and a whirr of wheels, 
the fire engine dashed around the corner. The 
driver was crouched low in the seat. He was driving 
like Jehu.' 

" But I could not spell Jehu, so I went to my 
teacher and asked, ' Please, how do you spell Jehu ? ' 

"'Spell what, Henry?' 

" ' Jehu/ 

" ' What in the world are you trying to say, boy ? ' 

" ' I am trying to tell how fast a fire engine driver 
goes — as fast as a chariot driver in the time of King 
David, I think it was/ 

" ' Well, Henry, I think you had better say the 
engine driver drove as fast as an ancient charioteer.' 

"And did you? "I asked. 

" No, sir ; I said, ' he was driving like mad/ " 

It is plain that this grammar-school teacher had 
never heard of the Bible character who had interested 
her pupil, but the author of this book knows how to 
spell " Jehu " to a questioning boy, or to a " gang " 
of boys, or to a Sunday-school class of boys. 

Is there any boy who does not have a motor in his 
7 



8 USTTEODUCTION 

mind? A writer of a method article in a recent issue 
of The Sunday School Times related an incident of a 
chap whom he described as " a motor-minded boy." 
He said that he was sitting on top of a school desk at 
recess, kicking back with his heels, and when asked 
what he was thinking about, replied : " I was wonder- 
ing, if my legs were horses, how fast they would go ! " 

It was with a realization of the fact that when a 
class of Sunday-school boys assembles, their instinct 
is of one accord to turn their legs into horses and to 
drive them as Jehu drove his pair of Arabs, that our 
paper requested Wade Smith to take charge of its 
Lesson Help for boys' classes. The management 
realized the truth of the statement of Dr. Walter W. 
Moore, President of Union Theological Seminary at 
Richmond, Va., when he said that Mr. Smith was the 
most versatile man whom he ever knew. 

Although Mr. Smith was already contributing to 
its columns " The Little Jetts Teaching the Sunday- 
school Lesson," he was asked also to undertake the 
difficult but important task of writing the lessons for 
teachers of, and students in, boys' classes. His 
highly acceptable performance of this work is but 
another evidence of his versatility. 

Out of his own richly eventful and happy boyhood, 
as well as his experience as a Christian father and a 
lifelong student of boys, small and grown up, Mr. 
Smith wrote the chapters of this book. They ap- 
peared week by week under the title of " Say, Fel- 
lows " Letters from our readers have testified 

to their helpfulness. The writer of this Introduction 
teaches two Sunday-school classes — one composed of 



INTRODUCTION 9 

his two boys in their home preparation for Sunday- 
school, and the other an Adult Men's class in the 
church to which he belongs. When his own boys 
have finished studying* their lesson in their Quar- 
terlies, they almost invariably come to their father 
and say, " Now read us what Mr. Smith says, and 
then we will be ready for the lesson." 

On two occasions I recall introducing the lesson to 
my adult class by recounting Mr. Smith's striking 
stories out of his own experience about the boy who 
was drowned and restored to life, illustrating the 
Resurrection Lesson (See page 60), and of his first 
and last deer hunt (See page 76), and both times the 
attention of the men was gripped in an unusual way 
by these remarkable incidents. No doubt, hundreds 
of teachers have had similar experiences in making 
use of Mr. Smith's illustrations. 

So great has been the helpfulness of the " Say, 

Fellows " lessons that the demand has come for 

their publication in the delightful book form in which 
they now appear. In expressing my own pleasure 
that these lesson treatments, having served their im- 
mediate purpose, are now to be rescued from yellow- 
ing files and preserved under the covers of a book, 
I am but voicing the hearty sentiment of the entire 
staff of the paper. 

May God's rich blessing rest upon the pages of this 
book as it takes a deserved place in the libraries of 
lovers of Motor-minded, Jehu-driving boys. 

Howard A. Banks, 
Associate Editor " The Sunday School Times." 

Philadelphia, Pa. 





Contents 


I. 


Building 


2. 


Work . 


f 


3- 


Invisible ! 




4- 


Mr. Almost . 






5- 


Fishing . 






6. 


Showing Off . 






7- 


Keeping Fit . 






8. 


Questioning . 






9. 


Loyalty . 






10. 


A Good Sport 






11 


Feasting 






12. 


Stewardship . 






13. 


Talents . 






14. 


Fighting 






15. 


Drifting 






16. 


Resurrection 






17- 


Knowing How 






18. 


Friendship 






19. 


Alabaster 






20. 


Telling It 






21. 


Ready ! . 






22. 


Remembering . 






23. 


Getting Even 






24. 


Greatness 







13 

16 

19 

22 

2f 

28 

31 

34 

37 
40 

44 
47 
50 
54 
57 
60 

63 
66 

69 
72 
76 

79 
82 

85 



11 



12 


CONTENTS 




25- 


" Paw, I Wanta Be Somebody ! " . 


88 


26. 


" Let Down Your Feet ! " . 


92 


27. 


An " Unassisted Triple Play " 


96 


28. 


Forgiving 


100 


29. 


Paradox 




103 


30. 


Fraud . 




106 


31- 


The Big Task 




no 


32. 


Power . 




"3 


33- 


Christmas 




116 


34- 


Aiming High . 




. 119 


35- 


Waiting 




122 


36. 


Action . 




125 


37- 


A Coronation 




128 


38. 


Do It Right . 




130 


39- 


Keeping Faith 1 




133 


40. 


The Game That Came Near Blowinc 






Up In the Seventh Inning . 


135 


4i. 


The Bitten Apple 


138 


42. 


My Kingdom 


. 141 


43- 


A Tool Box 


144 


44- 


Saul Niagara . . . • . 


. 148 


45- 


" Turning the Battle at the Gate " 


. 152 


4 6. 


A King in Rags .... 


■ 155 


47- 


Shaking up Philippi 


. 158 


48. 


Go In Yet — And Win ! 


. 162 


49- 


Green Fruit 


. 166 


5o. 


The Bedouin Slat 


m 


. 170 



BUILDING 

SAY, fellows, look at Solomon building a tem- 
ple! Ever see anything like that? Yes, I 
have. I saw some boys building a dam. It 
was a peach of a dam when they got it finished; and 
the little stream that trickled along between the hill- 
sides filled it up by next day, making a lake big 
enough to put a boat in. But, oh, how those fellows 
worked! For a whole week they brought rocks — 
big rocks — logs, and mud. Some of those stones and 
logs were dragged and rolled a quarter of a mile. 
They built right skillfully, too; they ricked it and 
they anchored the cribs; they piled in the rocks and 
braced the supports. 

Work? I should think they did. From early 
morning until dark they worked, hardly stopping long 
enough for meals. But it was truly some dam when 
they got through. Then came the big moment for 
which they had laboured and endured: they closed 
the small outlet protected by several sections of terra- 
cotta pipe at the base — and let her fill! 

Solomon went at building the temple pretty much 
the same way. The boys who built the dam said they 
were going to make the best boys' dam in all that 
country around, and they did. Solomon said he was 
going to put up the largest, the strongest, the finest, 

13 



14 "SAT, FELLOWS!" 

the best-looking temple of all for God. He put one 
hundred and fifty thousand strong men in the forests 
and in the quarries, getting out the finest timber and 
the best stone; he had these materials brought by 
sea and by land ; he employed workers in brass, and 
stone-cutters and gold-beaters wherever he could find 
the most skillful, regardless of the cost, and he him- 
self directed the work. 

Well, it was a peach of a temple, too. Nothing like 
it had ever been seen before. Crowning the highest 
hill in Jerusalem, overlooking all the country around, 
its marble walls, its shining brass pillars, its white 
chiselled columns, and its golden interior, it shone like 
a gem of dazzling beauty. When Solomon had fin- 
ished it, he invited the Lord to come into it, and " the 
glory of the Lord filled the house." 

Fellows, we are all building some kind of a tem- 
ple, and we build some on it every day. I saw a 
bleary-eyed dope fiend going along the street the 
other day. He has built a temple — a temple to the 
god Appetite. His temple is truly a sorry looking 
shack, but it is good enough for the god he serves. 
I know a very seedy individual, going around begging 
a living of whomsoever will give him a dime or a 
nickel. He has built his temple to the god Idleness. 
It is a ramshackle affair, to be sure, but it is plenty 
good for the god he serves. I know another fellow 
who has built a very ordinary looking temple — rather 
poor inside and out. He served the god " Let Well 
Enough Alone." There are many temples like his, 
and little joy is in them; but they are good enough 
for the god " Do-Little." 



BUILDING 16 

I think of one more temple builder. Early in his 
boyhood he learned that the human body, with its 
wonderful soul, is a temple for God to live in. Said 
he, " If God is to live in my body, then it must be fit." 
He began to think of everything he did for his health, 
for the training of his mind, his hands and other 
members, as fitting or unfitting the temple, according 
to whether it was good or bad. He quickly saw that 
his choices of entertainment and recreation were as 
important as his work, in the building he was putting 
up for God's dwelling. One day he made the most 
important discovery of all: it was that after all he 
might do to make the temple fit, it could never be so 
until the doors were flung wide and the Lord Himself 
should come in. Then, like Solomon, he " dedi- 
cated " it — and the Lord Jesus came in and made the 
temple fit, for "the glory of the Lord filled the 
house." 

Which simply means that he surrendered his life 
to Jesus Christ. A fellow's biggest and best and 
grandest work is the Temple of the Lord. 

Let's get at the job. 

Read 2 Chronicles 5: 1-14. 



II 

WORK 

SAY, fellows, shake hands with Mr. Work. Hu- 
manly speaking, the way in which you meet 
and hook up with this gentleman will have 
more to do with determining your success in life 
than any other one thing. Mr. Work is a member 
of the most amazingly successful concern in the com- 
munity. His senior partner is Mr. Faith. " Faith 
and Work, Unlimited" — that's the style of the firm, 
and they certainly have put across the biggest con- 
tracts ever known to the world. 

Some time I hope we may have the senior partner 
with us, but Mr. Work is here to-day, and we shall 
get a-plenty from him. In fact, " Plenty " is his 
middle name. Let's look him over. He is full of 
life and vigour. See his muscles, firm and hard. 
Watch the flash of his eye. Something there that 
inspires a fellow. Notice how he is in demand. 
Everywhere, people want him. Get that cheery 
smile ; it grew on a well done job, and stays there by 
repetition of well done jobs. Observe his steadiness, 
his confidence, and, withal, his acceptable humility. 
Why, he looks good either in Scotch cheviot or in 
overalls. 

I want to tell you a secret about this fellow. He is 
often mistaken for another celebrated and much 

16 



WOEK 17 

honoured one — Mr. Genius. Thomas Edison says 
that genius is just another name for conscientious 
hard work. That being so, any fellow can make a 
success and an honoured name who is willing to dig — 
and dig intelligently. 

But the best thing that can be said about work is 
to repeat what our Lord said : " My Father worketh 
hitherto, and I work." Work is a divine character- 
istic, a divine institution. Our great God works. 
Jesus Christ His royal Son worked incessantly when 
upon earth, and works now continually. God the 
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are 
the most tireless workers in the universe. Now what 
do you think of anybody who could despise work? 
What would you think of one who refused the work 
at hand and sat idly by, or went off on some useless 
excursion to escape it, while God, unwilling to lose a 
minute, ceaselessly works ? 

Of course, fellows, I'm not saying we should never 
go a-fishing or play a game of ball. Recreation is in 
the divine program. Every proper recreation is a 
help to good work. We owe it to our job and to 
ourselves to keep fit, and recreation is a part of the 
keep fit schedule. We only need to be careful and 
keep work and recreation in their right proportions. 

The bitterest pills a fellow has to take are those 
produced by idleness. Idleness usually lets down 
the portcullis and the devil comes across and takes 
charge. Not that work alone is sufficient to keep us 
clean and out of trouble; oh, no, that would be a 
fatal error, and many have fallen by it. The firm, 
you remember, is " Faith and Work, Unlimited." 



18 "SAY, FELLOWS !» 

Mr. Christian Faith is the senior partner of this firm, 
and is absolutely necessary to the truly successful 
career in the great business of life. We are simply 
looking over Mr. Work to-day. 

One other wonderful thought, to me, about this 
matter of work, fellows, is that when a boy is born 
into the world, his work is born with him — his own 
particular task, his life-work. God Himself arranges 
it. Isn't that fine ? Who could do it so wisely ? So 
you may depend your job somewhere awaits you, if 
you have not already discovered it, and it is a per- 
fect fit. 

How to know your task? First, ask God. Pray 
over this thing. Then do the thing next at hand, 
the duty calling now. Do it the best way you know 
and put your level best into it. It is the surest way 
I know for a fellow to find his best level ; and usually 
you work upward to it when you seek it in that way. 

Listen, fellows, this is Gospel — " Well done, good 
and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a 
few things, I will set thee over many things; enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

Read Romans 12: 11 and Proverbs 22: 29. 



Ill 

INVISIBLE! 

SAY, fellows, have you ever thought what a fight 
you could put up if you were invisible ? Why, 
you could walk right up in front of a fellow 
and smash his nose or knock him down before he 
could put up his guard or smash back — and even 
then he couldn't see you to hit you. Of course that 
would be a cowardly thing to do, but I'm just say- 
ing " Suppose." And this is to introduce right here 
your arch enemy, the devil, who is not a " suppose " 
at all, but is very real, very personal, and very in- 
visible, — always present and ready to do his cowardly, 
dirty work. 

Somebody said people are like a lot of safes. We 
may be generally of the same pattern, but each has a 
different combination. Perhaps none of us knows 
the combination to any but our own, but the devil 
carries them all in his note-book, and he never makes 
the mistake of trying to throw a fellow with a drink 
when his combination is a cigarette, or vice versa. 

The devil's finger is in all our affairs, and we can 
keep nothing secret from him. No matter what we 
try to do, he is ever present to try to make us do it 
his way. Even when we worship God, or pray, or 
sing, he has the audacity to try to make suggestions. 
You think the Wright brothers were clever to " con- 

19 



20 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

quer the air," and they were; but the devil has won 
the title of " Prince of the power of the air " ! His 
airplane is instantaneous and noiseless; he requires 
no special landing field, but can light on the lobe of 
your ear with a precision that is uncanny, and, light- 
ing there, he whispers things into your heart that you 
would not dare to utter with your lips. There are 
three points scored on the Wrights in one breath, 
and there are many others. 

The devil has won victories over the best men we 
can think of. Oh, how he got David, and spoiled a 
wonderful record being made by the "man after 
God's own heart." All in a trice he tripped David 
and led him to break six of the ten Commandments 
at once — five to ten inclusive! And he got Moses 
for a bad fall, and Elijah and Abraham and Jacob. 
He simply crept up unseen and caught them with 
their guards down. 

But in spite of the fact that he took a fall out of 
each of those strong and saintly characters, he met 
his match and more than his match when he tackled 
our Saviour. He made the strongest attack that 
could have been made, but Jesus overthrew him and 
put him to flight, and to-day's big news is that there 
is a way for you and me to throw this fellow down. 
Simple enough, if you are on your guard. Did you 
notice how Jesus handled him? He quoted Scrip- 
ture to him. Scripture to the devil is just like salt 
on a snail. He can't stand it. 

Jesus used God's Word, and that is invincible even 
against the devil, our mightiest foe. Go into your 
Bible and select an assortment of "devil-chasers." 



INVISIBLE ! 21 

Memorize them and have them ready for instant use. 
Like David, choose five smooth stones from the 
" Brook " and put them in your scrip ; then you will 
be ready for this giant, who stalks abroad as a roar- 
ing lion seeking whom he may devour. Only, he 
doesn't roar : he is noiseless and invisible — don't for- 
get that. 

'Read Matthew 4: 1-11. 



IV 

MR. ALMOST 

SAY, fellows, meet Mr. Almost ! 
He is one of the saddest, most pathetic fig- 
ures in all the Bible story, not because he was 
a villain or a murderer come to judgment* but be- 
cause he was so good and fine, and so nearly per- 
fect, " on points," and yet — flunked ! 

But he was a lot lower down on the honour roll 
than he thought. "What lack I yet?" he asked 
Jesus. Really, he couldn't see that he lacked any- 
thing at all — and that alone was a sign of failure, if 
he had only been wise enough to see it. 

Think of it, fellows, here was a man clean and 
safe and upright, as touching the law, yet the fires of 
torment were leaping up to meet him, along with 
Ananias the liar, and Judas the betrayer. Ananias 
did give a part of his money to the Lord, and Judas 
threw his blood money back into the bribers' faces, 
but this Mr. Almost closed his fingers tight over all 
his gold when the Lord called for it. 

Mr. Almost kept the Commandments from the time 
he was a boy. He worshipped God only; he bowed 
down to no idol; was very careful to speak God's 
name reverently ; wouldn't carry so much as a tooth- 
pick around on Sunday because it would be hauling 
wood and breaking the Sabbath; honoured his par- 

22 



MR. ALMOST 23 

ents ; of course he never killed a person ; was pure in 
deed ; took nothing which did not belong to him ; told 
no lie on his neighbours; and he never wished an- 
other's property might be his own ! Mr. Almost was 
a pious man. 

Jesus saw through Mr. Almost, saw through his 
luxurious robe and his clean, washed skin, clear 
down into his stingy heart, and put his finger in- 
stantly on the trouble. Jesus has a way of doing that. 
"Having kept all the Commandments, and wanting 
to be perfect," said Jesus, " now go, sell your prop- 
erty, and give the money to these poor starving, 
dying people about you." 

Mr. Almost had actually run to meet Jesus, to ask 
Him that question, " What lack I yet ? " says Mark's 
Gospel. Yes, ran. He evidently had no suspicion 
as to the answer he would get. Doubtless he thought 
the great Master would tell him of one more hand- 
washing necessary before retiring, or possibly some 
gnat's burden which Mr. Almost had been carrying 
around on his sleeve on the Sabbath. Flick that off 
and be perfect ! Mr. Almost wanted to make his per- 
fection secure. He had all kinds of earthly securi- 
ties; now this one more, the security of heaven, 
guaranteed by Jesus, and he would rest satisfied. 
He would just nail that down in passing. But Jesus 
touched him where he lived, and he crumpled up like 
some high floating dirigible whose gas tank explodes 
in mid-air. 

Fellows, really I didn't want to bring Mr. Almost 
into this volume. He gets on my nerve — and do you 
know why, fellows? He's too much like me! for I 



24 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

am rich. Yes, rich in all the abundance of God's 
wealth which He has given me. I live in a wonderful 
land, a land of freedom and independence and oppor- 
tunity — the richest and most powerful in all the 
world — and as a citizen of it all its resources are 
mine. I have plenty to eat and sufficient to wear, 
lots of friends and well-wishers. Life is beautiful 
and bright and comfortable; while just at my elbow, 
fellows, are many poor, starving, dying human be- 
ings — men, women, little children. The world is 
closely drawn together now, and there is never a 
time but that in some section of it there is famine and 
suffering. If we have the means to give and will 
give it to relieve human suffering, there are always 
reputable agencies ready to properly dispense it. 

None of us can despise Mr. Almost, fellows, if we 
eat a square meal and turn a deaf ear to the calls to 
help the suffering and the needy. 

This is the acid test. 

Read Mark 10: 17-27. 



FISHING 

SAY, fellows, the biggest and finest surprise a 
certain boy ever got was on that day when he 
was called out of the shop to the manager's 
office, and, reaching there trembling with fright, was 
told that he was promoted and would from that time 
have a share in the profits of the business! 

It was almost too good to be true. Immediately 
the shop looked different — the whole plant looked 
different — the men, the tools, the materials, the very 
smoke from the big chimney, all took on a kind of 
glory. The rows of machines looked like a parade 
and the mingled roar and grinding of them sounded 
like a brass band at a picnic. The dull routine of a 
daily schedule was suddenly changed to a thrilling 
program in every detail. 

Something had happened — not to the shop, but to 
him. His interest was changed. Now, instead of 
simply doing his daily task for daily pay, he was to 
share in the big objectives of the whole plant; he was 
taken into confidence and partnership with the man- 
agement. He was actually to share and rejoice in 
the achievements of a business which exported its 
products to every corner of the world! With what 
joy he realized that his capacity for higher and larger 
service had been recognized, and that now he would 

25 



SAY, FELLOWS!" 



have fellowship not only with the men of the shop, 
but also with the head of the plant. 

Fellows, that is about what happened to Peter and 
Andrew and James and John that morning on the 
shore of the lake. They were simply engaged in 
making a living. One day was pretty much like an- 
other. Sometimes, perhaps, the fishing was good, 
sometimes not so good. Life was just a day to day 
affair, and rather disappointing somehow, to souls 
with capacity for so much larger and finer things. 
Suddenly the Master, the Creator and Proprietor of 
the world, appeared and said : " Boys, it's a dull life 
at best — just fishing for fish; come and join me in a 
really big and worth-while task — fishing for men ! " 

And those four men caught the vision and followed 
Jesus. Life for them took on a new meaning that 
day. Instead of a daily grind it became an inspiring 
program with a grand objective. 

I am glad that God is so great and that His plans 
are so large that He is still calling out men to share 
them with Him and work out their fulfillment. And 
you and I, if we are wise, will gladly hear that call 
and promptly respond, for we will realize that the 
transient things we daily seek are not sufficient to 
give us any real or permanent satisfaction, and that 
we have a capacity for larger and better things. 

Oh, I don't suppose we can all be ministers and 
missionaries, though many of us may have that high- 
est of all privileges, but we shall also find that a 
merchant's life can be so planned as to be a means of 
rich service to God ; that a lawyer, after all, can be a 
force for Christ's kingdom ; that an engineer can lay 



FISHING 27 

out his life-work so as to make straight the path and 
level the road for the King; that a school-teacher 
can use his influence to bring pupils to the Master 
Teacher; that a physician has peculiar opportunity 
to quicken the spiritual lives of his patients ; and that 
any legitimate occupation can be made to serve man's 
chief end, which is " to glorify God and enjoy him 
forever." 

And when you and I catch and follow that vision 
of our life task, whatever it is, the whole plant 
changes, whether our job is in the shop or in the of- 
fice, or on the farm or in the schoolroom or pulpit, 
because we have tasted of the power and fellowship 
of a Spirit-filled life and a God-used career. 

Listen, fellows, He stands now in the morning of 
life, on the shore of your little lake and calls you to 
a wonderful partnership ! 

Let's follow Him ! 

Read Matthew 4: 18-22. 



VI 

SHOWING OFF 

SAY, fellows, it's great fun to "show off." 
Honest now, isn't that so ? If you've got some 
rare thing the other fellows haven't got, what 
fun to have them come from all over the block to go 
up in the attic with you to see it and watch you 
"work it"! 

I knew a boy who made an airplane. Of course it 
was just a toy, but it had all the parts. He had 
gotten a pattern from a mechanical magazine, with 
explicit instructions; he scoured around and got the 
dozen or more materials necessary, then worked for 
days and some nights in the basement. Finally, the 
thing was completed. It had a twist-rubber pro- 
peller, and would actually fly a little — not much. 
But it was a thing of beauty, and its varnished butter- 
fly planes spread majestically and glistened in the 
sunlight. There were the stays and the rudder, the 
pilot's seat and the complicated triggers by which it 
was supposed to be governed. Well, the boys came 
from far and near to look at it, and the biggest fun 
the owner had was showing it to some new boy who 
hadn't seen it before. That is all right, too, if you do 
it in the proper spirit, but nobody likes to see a fel- 
low get " cocky " over his luck, no matter how good 
or how rare it is. 

28 



SHOWING OFF 29 

Solomon had the show stuff all right. The Queen 
of Sheba heard about it away down south in her 
African kingdom, and came many miles with a cara- 
van of camels to see for herself. This man Solomon 
was a wonder. He answered her best riddles without 
batting an eyelash — and she had some corking hard 
riddles, too. When she tired of testing him he 
showed his wonderful house, his gorgeous throne of 
ivory overlaid with gold, his great flocks and herds 
for his household table, his army of servants, his 
courtly ministers, his treasuries piled with gold, and a 
hundred other sights richer and finer than she had 
ever known. 

But the big event of that show day was the temple ! 
Of course it was, for Solomon had made it the 
biggest and finest thing in the kingdom. Even if he 
hadn't told her she would have seen that. And there 
was but one way to explain it: Solomon's God, to 
whom the temple had been built, was the secret of 
Solomon's glory and power. That was the impres- 
sion the queen carried home. 

It is said that when one of the princes of India 
visited England, he was overcome by the display of 
the wealth and grandeur of the empire. After seeing 
the palaces of Buckingham and Windsor, and the 
Halls of Parliament ; after getting a glimpse of Brit- 
ish shipping and commerce plying to every known 
port ; after viewing the greatest navy in the world and 
witnessing a review of the army at Aldershot — he 
exclaimed to Queen Victoria: 

" Tell me, Your Majesty, what is the secret of it 
all?" 



30 "SAY, FELLOWS !" 

In answer the queen took a Bible from a near-by- 
table and placed it in the prince's hand. " This," 
she said, " God's Word, is the basis of all — God is 
the giver." 

Fellows, if there is anything you take pride in, re- 
member the Giver. Don't make the mistake of 
Nebuchadnezzar, who actually talked to himself 
about how clever he was and how great he was to 
build Babylon by the might of his own power (Dan. 
4 ' 3°> 3 1 ) • Even while he spoke those boasting words 
God punished him by taking it all away from him. 

But it is not sufficient simply to refrain from boast- 
ing. You and I must see to it that God gets the 
glory, for God has given whatever we have that is 
worth-while. Let the presentation be so made that 
whoever witnesses it will pass out saying : " Surely 
God is the secret of that fellow's success ! " 

Real and permanent greatness is the kind that 

exalts God above all. 

Read I Kings io: i-io. 



VII 

KEEPING FIT 

SAY, fellows, I wouldn't take a lot for the priv- 
ilege of handing you young champions this 
message : for it comes right out of the heart of 
a King to the princes of the Blood. 

Yes, something doing in athletics this time, — and 
the Big Event for which each one of you is prepar- 
ing, whether you know it or not. 

"Find all that in the Bible?" 

Sure! that and more. Why, fellows, don't you 
know the Bible has more dealings right where you 
live and play and work and study and eat than any 
other book that was ever written ? Just let me read 
you a part of to-day's Scripture lesson out of Wey- 
mouth's translation, which is the same as your Bible — 
only saying it in the kind of language spoken to-day 
instead of that of many years ago. 

Listen to First Corinthians 9 : 24-27 : " Do you not 
know that in the foot-race the runners all run, but 
that only one gets the prize ? You must run like him, 
in order to win with certainty. But every competitor 
in an athletic contest practises abstemiousness in all 
directions. They indeed do this for the sake of se- 
curing a perishable wreath, but we for the sake of 
securing one that will not perish. That is how I run, 
not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer 

3 1 



32 "SAY, FELLOWS !» 

who does not inflict blows on the air, but I hit hard 
and straight at my own body and lead it off into 
slavery, lest possibly, after I have been a herald to 
others, I should myself be rejected." 

Now, fellows, it was Paul saying that — writing to 
the Corinthians, who knew all about the Corinthian 
games and races, and contests of strength, skill, and 
endurance. And so do you know how the coach lays 
his hand on your shoulder, looks you straight in the 
eye, and says : " Listen, son, we've got to win that 
game, — you understand? From this on, cut the big 
eats. No rich stuff and no stuffing. Simple diet. No 
smoking. No late hours. Early to bed. Keep clean ; 
exercise daily according to directions. Keep fit! 
Do you get me ? " 

And you meekly nod and say: "Yes, sir, boss." 
Do you have to do that ? Oh, no, you could drop off 
the team if you didn't like the conditions, but you 
don't want to drop off and you comply with the con- 
ditions. You surprise yourself by your self-control. 
You are in on that game, and you're in to win. It is 
the event of the season. It will be the thrill of a 
lifetime to win. So you are temperate because you 
want the glory of winning — glory for your team ; 
glory for your school. 

Fellows, thus your body becomes the temple of a 
living hope. And it is all right. Bless your hearts, 
there are few things finer than that self-mastery 
which enables a boy to deny his natural appetite for 
the sake of an ideal — even though it be a sporting 
ideal. 

And I think God designed it so. He is continually 



KEEPING FIT 33 

teaching us the deeper and richer truths by leading us 
up to them through our experiences with things we 
can touch and taste and see and hear. 

To-day He is pointing you and me, not to the tem- 
porary honour of an athletic victory, but to the 
eternal honour of gaining the mastery over our appe- 
tites for the sake of keeping our bodies, minds, and 
hearts for His own indwelling. And He, Himself, is 
our Coach, doing something which no other coach 
can — remaining constantly beside us, within us, estab- 
lishing that wonderful endurance — that indescribable 
something within us which strives and strives and 
conquers ! 

Fellows, talk about thrills ! there is nothing like the 
thrill that comes of being used — effectively used — by 
Him. The thrills of our athletic victories die away 
with the shouting, but the deep satisfaction of " keep- 
ing fit " for God's service grows finer and finer as the 
days go by. 

Oh, say, fellows, this is the thrill of Real Life ! 

Read I Corinthians 6: 13-20. 



VIII 
QUESTIONING 

SAY, fellows, make a note of this: If you 
question Jesus in the effort to trip Him, you 
throw yourself down; but if you question 
Jesus in order to know and do His will, you may con- 
fidently stand upon your feet and defy anything that 
threatens your peace, your happiness, or your suc- 
cess. 

" How can a fellow question Jesus in these days, 
like the Pharisees ? " did I hear you ask ? This way : 
You can question God's Word, its truth, its justice, 
its wisdom in your particular case. Millions are to- 
day questioning in that way; millions who do not 
want to change their ways, millions who would like 
to overthrow God's laws, because they want to go on 
in their wickedness and our Lord's teachings are a 
continual reproach to them. But they are having no 
better success in it than the Scribes and Pharisees 
had in Jesus' day. 

" Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door, 
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chimes ; 
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor 
Old hammers worn with beating years of time. 
34 



QUESTIONING 35 

" ' How many anvils have you had,' said I, 

'To wear and batter all these hammers so?' 
1 Just one/ said he, and then with twinkling eye, 
1 The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.' 

"'And so/ I thought, 'the Anvil of God's Word 

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon, 
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, 
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone/ " 

Now, fellows, those Scribes and Pharisees ought 
to have known better than to try to tangle Jesus in 
His talk. Already they had been astonished by the 
wise words He said, by the unmistakable " authority " 
shown in His manner and teachings, by the power of 
His mere word over diseases and devils. These men 
were the devil's own servants. There are many such 
to-day, and they never seem to realize until too late 
that their master will allow them to walk right into a 
hopeless fix — caught in their own trap. 

Let's run our eye down the closing verse of this 
chapter of Matthew, as it tells better than any other 
how completely squelched were these critics of 
Jesus : " And no one was able to answer him a 
word, neither durst any man from that time forth 
ask him any more questions." 

But there is a kind of questioning which we do 
want to practise. One of the wisest and finest things 
a fellow can do is to make it a rule to ask Jesus some 
questions every day in His Word. Make a place in 
your day's schedule — make it in the morning, first 
thing if possible, or very soon after you are up. 
Open your Bible with a question, and let that ques- 
tion be : " Lord Jesus, what would you like to tell me 



36 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

to-day out of these verses of Scripture which I am 

about to read? What thing in my life would you 

warn me against, or what thing should I do which I 

am not doing? Or, is there a better way I should 

try? 

" Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." 

Fellows, start a day like that — honestly — and you 

cannot fail! 

Read Matthew 22: 15-46. 



IX 

LOYALTY 

SAY, fellows, what is the most loyal thing you 
ever did? I should like to know. Was it 
when you waded into a big bully who was lick- 
ing your little brother, and took the drubbing yourself ? 
Or was it when some fellows accused you of being 
tied to your mother's apron strings, and you flashed 
back at them: "Yes, and she is the finest mother 
a boy ever had ! " Or was it when you sat up all 
night in a coach on a railroad trip to root for your 
team next day on the enemy's field ? 

I heard of a British boy in Flanders who was 
brought back of the lines for surgical treatment, and 
when they opened his shirt they found tattooed on 
his breast the words: For My King! I read of a 
French lad whose arm had to be amputated at the 
shoulder, having been shattered by a German shell. 
When he regained consciousness, the surgeon, moved 
with deep sympathy, said, " Oh, my poor boy, I am so 
sorry you lost your arm ! " The boy's eyes snapped 
as he answered : " Lost ! No, don't say that ; I gave 
it to France ! " 

Each one of you fellows has a tremendous capac- 
ity for being loyal to some thing, some principle, or 
somebody. It is a costly part of your make-up, be- 

37 



38 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

cause it will cause you to make sacrifice. What are 
you choosing as the object of your loyalty? 

Fellows, I want to offer you King Jesus as the 
One upon whom you can spend your loyalty to the 
limit. There is none like Him. He is the chief among 
ten thousand. When He gives you a task He gives 
you at the same time the power to do it. When He 
sends you to men, He opens the hearts of those to 
whom you are sent. You can undertake anything 
for King Jesus without fear, no matter how difficult 
or how impossible the task may seem. 

Why, fellows, think of those two disciples going 
after that colt for Jesus their King to ride upon! 
He sent them for it. The beast belonged to some 
one else, yet they were to untie it and bring it. If 
the owner objected, all they were to say was : " The 
Lord hath need of him." That would settle it. 
They brought it as directed. That was faith, and 
that was loyalty. 

To-day King Jesus wants messengers — not to send 
out for asses, but into the haunts of sin for lost men 
and women ; and into the social, commercial, and in- 
dustrial world to present His claims. Some, hearing 
the call, are answering, " But how do I know I will 
succeed in that sort of business? Will I be con- 
tented in such work? Will it pay? Will it keep me 
in a comfortable living? Will men come when I tell 
them?" Listen, fellows, King Jesus says: "All 
power is given unto me — Go! — and lo, I am with 
you alway ! " That is sufficient, it is the King's own 
word for it; and here is the place where you can 
exercise your priceless loyalty to the limit, and never 



LOYALTY 39 

know a moment's regret. The King Himself goes 

with you. 

The loyal servants of King Jesus never have to 

root for a losing game; victory is assured from the 

beginning. 

Read Mark li: I-II. 



A GOOD SPORT 

SAY, fellows, I overheard a remark the other 
day as I passed a bunch of boys down on the 
corner. One of the boys was saying, " Oh, 
he's a good sport, all right," and I wondered just 
what that boy thought it took to make a good sport. 
About that time one of the boys whom I knew pulled 
out of the crowd and coming my way overtook me, 
so I asked him who was the " good sport " the fellows 
were talking about. 

" Why," he said, " it was Jim Love ; when he was 
in the two-mile cross-country foot race the other 
day, with a good chance of getting ahead of Tom 
Locke, who won it, Jim stopped long enough to help 
a guy across a footlog with a sack of potatoes or 
something — and even then came in just a few yards 
behind Tom. He would have won, but for that stop ; 
but he said the old man looked as if he was about to 
fall off the footlog. Tom saw it, too, but he waded 
the creek and got a better lead on Jim." 

It did me good to think of those fellows classing 
Jim up as "a good sport," after I knew what had 
happened. They had the right idea. I believe our 
Lord would have called Jim a good sport, too, if He 
had been telling the boys of to-day about it, because 
the Christ spirit in a fellow is what makes him a 
"good sport" in the highest sense. Once when a 

40 



A GOOD SPOET 41 

prouci Pharisee was trying to trap our Lord with a 
"catch question," Jesus answered him with a story- 
very much like that which made the boys call Jim 
Love a good sport. 

The Pharisee asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour ?" 
and Jesus told him about the Good Samaritan. A 
man was travelling from Jerusalem down the rough 
mountain road to Jericho, and was attacked by ban- 
dits, beaten, robbed, and left lying beside the road 
half dead. A priest came along, but he was in a 
hurry; he had important religious duties awaiting 
him, and besides, that fellow looked as if he was in 
bad and it would take a lot of time and trouble to 
" undertake " him, so Mr. Priest just hummed a little 
tune to himself, looked at the sky and passed on. 

Then came a Levite. He got down off his donkey 
and stepped over and looked at the poor fellow. Yes, 
he was breathing, but so near dead he probably 
would not last long, so why worry? So passed on 
the Levite. But next came along a man whom the 
priest and the Levite despised because he was a Sa- 
maritan. They regarded him as a very poor sort of a 
citizen. 

But the Samaritan had a heart in him and he had a 
way of saying to himself when he saw anybody in 
distress : " Suppose I was in that fellow's fix, what 
would I like to have done for me ? " When he asked 
himself that question on this occasion, the answer 
came quick and strong : " Get down and help him 
all you can; yes, your business is urgent, too, but 
here is a fellow-man in hard luck and you've got the 
stuff to help with ! " 



42 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

That is the way the heart of a good sport talks 
back to a fellow, and a good sport listens when his 
heart speaks, and a good sport acts quickly. So the 
Samaritan got down off his donkey and ran to the 
man, felt his pulse, spoke to him, loosened his shirt 
and looked into that ugly wound all bleeding. Then 
back to his travelling sack and out with the oil and 
wine. 

Pouring in the soothing and healing stuff, he 
doubtless said : " There now, old fellow, you're feel- 
ing better already; just keep steady a bit, and we'll 
get you out of this; a little water? yes, hold on a 

minute " and down to the trickling stream he 

runs and brings a cool drink in his little leather 
cup. 

Ah, it was fine to see that beaten man revive ! He 
opened his eyes wide and looked the gratitude he was 
not yet able to speak. Soon the Samaritan got the 
whole story of the attack, listening with sympathetic 
indignation as the wounded man told how it hap- 
pened, how he was taken by surprise by those 
cowardly ruffians, stripped, robbed, and beaten into 
insensibility. Directly he was trying to raise up on 
his elbow, and the Samaritan said : 

" Now you just put your arm around my neck and 
hold steady while I lift. That's it, get your weight 
on your right foot, lean forward, and I'll get you atop 
this beast. Ah! that's the stuff, you're getting 
stronger every minute — now steady just a moment, 
let me pick up that oil bottle — all right — Get up! 
Bess — steady, girl, keep your hoofs in the path, and 
we'll make it fine. There, that's the movement. 



A GOOD SPOET 43 

" The inn is only a mile down the road now, friend, 
and there is food and a good bed awaiting you — oh, 
well, that's all right about your money being taken, 
I'll take care of that. The innkeeper and I are good 
friends, and likely with the good treatment you'll get 
you will be on your way in a couple of days " 

And so they go, the donkey picking her way care- 
fully over the rougher places under the restraining 
voice of her master, while the wounded man leans 
heavily upon his benefactor. 

Then, you know the rest, fellows. That despised 
Samaritan saw the thing clean through. He did not 
leave " his neighbour " until he had spent a night with 
him at the inn and had an understanding next morn- 
ing with the innkeeper as to his safekeeping until 
able to resume the journey. 

And what did our Lord teach in that graphic 
story? Why, simply this: Anybody whom you can 
help is your neighbour. If there is a poor man at my 
door needing something I can give, he is my neigh- 
bour. Or, if there is a rich Chinaman six thousand 
miles across the seas, needing the spiritual help I can 
send him through my prayers, my gifts, or my per- 
sonal attention — he is my neighbour. Distance, short 
or long, is not the measure of neighbourhood; but 
need and my ability to help are the tests which deter- 
mine how near by is my brother man. 

The Boy Scouts have a fine motto : " Do a Good 
Turn Daily." There is just one better — " Do a Good 
Turn Whenever You Can," and that is loving your 
neighbour. 

Read Lnke 10: 25-37. 



XI 

FEASTING 

SAY, fellows, a man raised a glass of water to 
his mouth to take a drink; some one passing 
struck his elbow, and ! Now an interest- 
ing thing has happened: each one of you fellows 
got a picture, complete in all details, to a climax. 
Yet there was no real picture; it was all in your 
imagination, spurred by twenty-one simple words. 
And it was a moving picture, too, and it went 
away past the word-spurs, because you painted the 
balance of it yourselves like a flash. You saw the 
glass fall and smash on the floor, and you saw the 
water spatter the man's feet and trousers — then some 
of you saw him jump back and look up quick and 
kind of mad like at the person passing, and maybe 
say something rough. 

Well, that's a wonderful machine you've got there, 
fellows ; anything that can make a moving picture out 
of a thin line of material like that — a really for-the- 
moment interesting picture, with all the finishing 
touches — has a most valuable and useful outfit. Now 
Jesus knew His hearers had outfits of that wonderful 
kind, so in speaking to them He helped them draw 
pictures which would enable them to see some very 
interesting and startling things — things which they 



FEASTING 45 

needed to know worse than a dying man needs a 
doctor. 

Most of the pictures which He drew in this way- 
were to show what the kingdom of heaven is like. 
Men in those days, just as nowadays, were walking 
around bumping right up against the kingdom of 
heaven without knowing it. So Jesus drew pictures 
to help them see this wonderful kingdom, in order 
that they might not only become glad citizens of it 
but also to escape an awful fate. 

The picture I want to present is of a great and 
rich king who was also both good and generous, 
making a marriage feast for his son and inviting a 
large number of guests. 

Now, fellows, use your fine imagination again. 
You saw the king's surprise when the first servants 
reported; you saw him knit his brows (like this) and 
stand silently thinking a moment before deciding to 
send a second word; but can you imagine his as- 
tonishment a little later, when two of that second 
squad came running in, all breathless, and told him 
that though they fully explained the magnificence of 
the wedding supper, some turned upon their heels 
with a flimsy excuse, others rudely laughed outright 
in the messengers' faces, and — oh, the horror of it ! — 
still others actually stoned and beat some of the mes- 
sengers to death! — and their bodies were even at 
that moment lying in the street, being licked by dogs. 

I say, can you see the king now ? I think you can, 
for you have heard what he did. Yes, his servants 
went out again to those same people, but this time 
with swords and spears and fire, a terrible army of 



46 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

them, marching to the dread drum-beat of judgment, 
" and destroyed those murderers and burned up their 
city." 

Yes, fellows, I know what you are saying. You 
are saying, " Well, I don't see how anybody could be 
as big a fool as that ! " And yet, do you know that 
people are just as foolish to-day? Jesus told that 
parable to help us, too. The kingdom of heaven is 
just as close to you and to me; the greatest King of 
all — that's Jesus — is inviting boys and men to come 
in to the feast of usefulness and happiness and joy 
of an out-and-out Christian life, a feast which He has 
Himself prepared, and some are turning their backs 
upon His call, unwilling to take the King's own word 
for it that they will have the time of their lives, 
which will grow sweeter and finer and better as the 
days go by, and never, never end ! 

I tell you, fellows, there's nobody who can make a 
feast like Jesus; things taste even a lot better than 
they look on the card, for He always gives more than 
He promises. Don't you make the mistake of turning 
down His invitation. It would be a tragedy. Let's 
answer His gracious call to-day like this : 

"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, 
Over mountain or plain or sea; 
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; 
I'll be what you want me to be." 

Read Matthew 22: 1-10. 



XII 

STEWARDSHIP 

SAY, fellows, how much is a boy worth in 
money ? The United States Labour Bureau in 
1914 estimated the average cost of rearing a 
boy to the age of sixteen was then $1,325. It must 
average at least $1,500 now. Well, fellows, that is 
what you cost; are you worth it? I am talking of 
actual, not sentimental, values. Father and mother 
wouldn't take a million dollars for any one of you, I 
suppose, but that does not mean you are worth it. 
An investment of $1,500 ordinarily is expected to 
yield at least six per cent, a year, which is $90. 

I know a fourteen-year-old boy who is earning $7 
a week. He gives it all to his widowed mother on 
Saturday night. She gives him back a dollar of it. 
He first takes out ten cents for his church pledge and 
five cents for Sunday-school. Then he puts fifty 
cents in his savings bank. He has about $25 in the 
bank. The remainder, thirty-five cents, he spends as 
his fancy dictates. He is a steady boy and it is rea- 
sonable to count upon his putting in eleven months a 
year at his work, allowing one month for vacation. 
His gross financial value to his mother for the year, 
therefore, is not less than $280. It costs her about 
$12.50 a month to provide his food and clothing. 
That takes off $150, so his net financial value a year 

47 



48 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

is $130, which is six per cent, on $2,166.; Thus you 
see that fourteen-year-old boy is a paying investment 
on considerably more than the average cost of a six- 
teen-year-old boy, and I do not wonder that that 
fellow's mother would not take a million for him, for 
the money part of his value is the least of all. 

But this is not by any means an accurate way to 
arrive at a boy's real value. The more fortunate 
boy will be going to school nine months of the year. 
He is preparing for a later very much higher value 
than the boy who is denied an education, and while 
he may not be earning money now, he is earning a 
certain knowledge, skill, and development which will 
give him equipment of high value. At any rate, 
sooner or later, fellows, you find yourself with a 
capacity for earning and accumulating money. And, 
remember, in your relation to your money, that after 
all it is not yours, but God's — no matter how it comes 
into your hands. 

In Luke 16 is the account of Dives, whom God per- 
mitted to be rich, but who made the fatal mistake of 
using his wealth for the sole purpose of gratifying 
himself. He built a luxurious home, he bought fine 
clothes and feasted every day on costly food. There 
were suffering and want all about him, but he turned 
his face away from the needy. One poor fellow 
named Lazarus, too weak to walk and all covered 
with sores, was laid at this rich man's gate where he 
was bound to see him day after day. 

The dogs came and licked the poor man's sores, but 
Dives passed him by. Lazarus got a servant to ask 
for the scraps taken from the rich man's table, but 



STEWAKDSHIP 49 

he needed other help. God gave Dives money and 
gave him an opportunity to serve his fellow-man with 
it, but Dives failed to catch the idea, somehow. He 
foolishly spent his money upon himself, and one night 
Dives lay down to sleep on a full stomach and woke 
up in torment. 

Fellows, money was his undoing. Money can be 
a curse, or it can be a blessing. All depends upon 
whether or not you recognize God's ownership, 
acknowledge it, and act upon it. Some of the sad- 
dest lives ever lived are those built around a wrong 
conception of their relation to money. Some of the 
happiest and most successful lives are those built upon 
the principle that money is a God-given trust to be 
used for Him. 

Fellows, what are you going to be worth — to God, 
and to your fellow-man ? 

Read Luke 16: 19-31. 



XIII 

TALENTS 

SAY, fellows, one morning in spring a boy came 
to me and said : " Dad, let's go fishing ; I saw 
the bass jumping in the lake just now, and that 
means they are ready to bite.' y 

"All right," I replied, "you get the bait and the 
lines ready and we will go at four this afternoon." 
He did so. 

Then we went around to the point on the lake 
where he had seen the fish jumping. I made a dandy 
throw, first try, and as the bait began bobbing in and 
out among the flags I could just see myself hanging 
a beauty. I was watching the line so hard that I 
forgot the boy for two or three minutes ; then, turn- 
ing, I saw him standing there looking very sad. 

" What's the matter," I said, " why don't you un- 
wrap your line and fish ? " 

He whimpered : " I want to fish for bass, with a 
big line, like yours." 

" Why," I said, " you couldn't handle a big rod 
and line like this ; and if you could, you would get it 
tangled up in those flags out there; now you just 
unwrap your little line, put a little worm on your 
little hook and drop it over there by that stump, and 
you will catch a little perch." 

5o 



TALENTS 51 

Well, he didn't want to do it, but because I or- 
dered him to do it he cast in his hook. In the mean- 
time, I was watching my minnow again ; it was playing 
beautifully, but getting no strike. I was still watch- 
ing it intently, when all of a sudden I heard a great 
splashing beside me, and looking around — there was 
a sight ! That boy's little pole was nearly bent dou- 
ble, and at the end of his line threshing and churn- 
ing the water at a terrific rate was a big fish ! The 
boy was having the time of his life; oh, he played 
him, he tightened him and slacked him, but all the 
time bringing him nearer to the bank. 

In about a half minute (it seemed much longer) 
there was a pound-and-a-half bass flapping out there 
on the grass. In the meantime, the big hook con- 
tinued to do nothing — and it never did, that after- 
noon. We went home with the one bass, and that 
night the family sat around the supper table and 
greatly enjoyed the fish caught on the little hook. 

God will honour the fellow that does the best he 
can with what he has in his hand. And perhaps it will 
be a far greater honour than you ever dreamed of. 

When our Lord told the parable He did not mean 
to make small of the fellow who has only small 
ability. He condemned the fellow who refused to 
use what ability he had because it was small and be- 
cause he did not have as much as somebody else to 
work with. Let's suppose the last part of that para- 
ble had read this way : 

" Then he which had received the One Talent came 
and said, Lord, you only gave me one talent, and 
when I saw you giving that other fellow five and 



62 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

still another two, I was all cut up about it. I did not 
see why you should give them more to work with 
than you gave me. I boiled inside. I said to my- 
self, Well, if that is the way he treats me, I will 
simply take his talent and bury it until he comes 
back; then I will dig it up and hand it back to him 
just as he handed it to me. 

" But then I thought again, and I remembered that 
it was your property you were distributing, and you 
had a perfect right to do it as you chose. I remem- 
bered that you are both a wise and a kind master; 
you have never given me a reason to question your 
love for me and your interest in me; and you know 
me and my capacity for handling your property far 
better than I know myself. So I decided to take 
that One Talent and work with it and do the very 
best I could with it. And, Lord, I did; and here, 
see — I have gained another one to go with it ; here are 
two talents." 

Bless your life, fellows, do you know what his 
lord would have said to that man? He would have 
said to him exactly what he said to the other two 
men. 

A poor boy in New York got himself a job at a 
little lunch stand. He found he had a little talent 
for making the lunches attractive and people would 
buy them. He stuck at it, saved his earnings, and 
after a while bought out the lunch stand. He en- 
larged the variety of his lunches and added some 
other goods. And, to make a long story short, he is 
now acknowledged to be the greatest hotel man in 
the world. 



TALENTS 63 

The fellow who uses the talent he has, be it one, 

two, or five, and takes Jesus for his partner, is bound 

to be a success. 

Read Matthew 25: 14-30. 



XIV 
FIGHTING 

SAY, fellows ! of all the boys in the Old Testa- 
ment, David is my choice. There was some- 
thing about that chap that was " real class." 

If David were to happen in your bunch, doubtless 
when you got to knowing him every one of you would 
want him for a chum. He was the kind of fellow 
that real boys like : not a braggart and not a " sissy," 
but generally when it came to his turn to bat he 
smashed the ball for a clean hit. Or if he should 
happen to strike out, he didn't slam the stick to the 
ground, but with a smile stepped back and turned a 
handspring and lit on his feet rooting for the next 
man up. Of course, you know there was not any 
baseball in those days, but that is about the way 
David would have played the game. 

Out there minding the sheep, David 'didn't get 
moody. It might have been a slow job for others, 
but not for him. No, he had a harp and he made 
music with it. He had a sling, and could hit a quar- 
ter on a telegraph pole with it — if there had been 
quarters and telegraph poles. But there were other 
things to use that sling on, and they gave David a 
touch of real life. 

David knew that lions, bears, and wolves lurked in 
54 



FIGHTING 55 

the forests near the pastures in which his sheep must 
graze, and he got ready for them. Notice, fellows, 
here is one of the secrets of David's success : he was 
always ready. His big opportunity came when he 
arrived at King Saul's camp on that errand for his 
father, and he was ready for it. 

He was ready, first, because he believed God's 
power was greater than any army, and that God 
would fight for any one who fought for Him. Did 
you notice in the Bible account how David told the 
king that God would handle the matter; and how he 
also told Goliath out there on the field, while all men 
held their breath, that it was Goliath plus sword, 
spear, and shield, against David plus God ? 

And so God helped. One smooth stone, the first 
out of the sling, crunched through that big bluffer's 
head like a baseball through a stained glass window, 
and the Philistine fell on his face. 

Everybody's giant comes some day. Every fel- 
low's big opportunity comes one time, at least, and 
he can be just as ready for it as David was. 

That's the big news to-day. 

I like to think of the five smooth stones as repre- 
senting five characteristics of David's readiness. 

First Stone: (the one he slung) Faith. We have 
been talking about that — faith in God. David prayed 
as he picked up those stones, you know he did. 

Second Stone: A pure heart God searched it that 
day at Bethlehem and approved him for anointing. 
David was clean. You would never hear him tell- 
ing smutty stories, nor did he think them. 

Third Stone: Industrious habits. Think of his skill 



56 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

in playing the harp, and his effectiveness with that 
deadly sling. 

Fourth Stone: A courageous spirit. A lion's mane, 
a bear's skin, and a giant's head, of which we know, 
bear testimony to this. No wonder the shepherd boy 
could stand before a king and reason with him in the 
presence of a national crisis. 

Fifth Stone: A humble spirit. Listed last, but not 
least by a good deal. " Thy servant will go and fight 
this Philistine " ; " Thy servant kept his father's sheep 

and " "The Lord will" do this thing— not I. 

David's humility throughout his boyhood and young 
manhood — indeed throughout his whole life — is one 
of the fine and strong points of his character. 

In the brook that runs alongside your lives, fel- 
lows, these five smooth stones and others are waiting 
for each one of you. Put them in your " scrip " now 
and be ready for life's opportunities; for they are 
coming, head on, to meet you, and God wants to be 
on your side. 

Read the seventeenth chapter of I Samuel. 



XV 
DRIFTING 

SAY, fellows, there is a little animal in the 
North Woods, called the weasel. In coldest 
winter its fur turns snow white and its pelt 
is very valuable. The white fur of the weasel (some- 
times called the ermine) is used to make some of the 
most beautiful and expensive stoles that elegant and 
wealthy ladies wear. Therefore, in very cold winters, 
trapping the weasel is profitable as well as interesting. 
Now here comes the queer part of this story : The 
weasel is small, and any scar made upon its snow- 
white coat is doubly conspicuous. If the pelt is torn 
or injured it is rejected; so the trapper must take his 
captive clean and scarless. The weasel will not enter 
a cage trap, and the much used snap- jaw steel trap 
would tear the skin. But the weasel likes to lick a 
smooth surface, especially if it is the slightest bit 
greasy; so the trapper smears with grease the blade 
of a large knife and lays it on top of the snow, secured 
by a chain attached to the handle, and covers the 
chain with snow to hide it. 

The weasel comes along and immediately indulges 
its natural desire to lick the smooth blade, and in- 
stantly the end of its tongue clings fast to the cold 
steel. Try as it may, it cannot pull loose without 
tearing its tongue out, which usually it will not do, 
but sits quietly by, until released by the trapper, re- 

57 



58 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

leased only to die. Luckless weasel, trapped by the 
tongue. 

Now, fellows, the weasel does no more wicked 
thing than to follow its natural inclinations; but 
natural inclinations are not safe guides; they more 
frequently lead to death. We folks are much like the 
weasel; we are much of the time dead bent in the 
direction of what is worst for us. Is not our God 
good to give us the plain warnings which we as in- 
telligent beings can see and understand — and, see- 
ing and understanding, " Stop, Look, and Lis- 
ten ! " — turn about and head toward safety, success, 
and happiness ! Surely, He is good. But what mat- 
ters how good God is and how plain His warnings if 
we go right on in the wrong direction ? 

If a weasel could understand a warning and should 
say, " Yes, I know, but I am just going to lick this 
once," what would it matter how clear the warning 
was? 

God's warnings are such as should turn us face 
about ; right now, before we are hard and fast in one 
of the devil's many crafty snares, for he always lays 
his snares along the path of our natural inclinations. 
God warns: "Abhor evil," learn to hate it, pray to 
hate it. " Cleave to the good," learn to love it, pray 
to love it. 

Naturally, we seek our own praise, but face about ! 
seek the praise for another, in true brotherly spirit. 
Naturally, we are lazy and would shirk our task ; but 
brace up ! put vim in the job ; that honours God, and 
incidentally, puts both success and joy in the work. 
When we get in trouble, naturally we chafe and be*- 



DEIFTING 59 

come impatient; God says, "Be patient in tribula- 
tion." That's a " Right-about-face ! " for you. We 
pray once and quit — naturally. God says keep on 
praying. When folks nag at us and pester us, 
naturally we blaze out at them. God says, don't 
blaze, but bless. And that's " To the rear ! Hey ! " 

Naturally, our noses turn up and our heads are 
lifted to salute the lofty ones ; God says look around 
for those not so well off as we are, and lavish our 
sociability on them. Naturally, we try to " get even " 
with the fellow who does us a mean turn; God says 
turn that matter over to Him ; He will take care of it. 
And when that fellow needs help, as surely he will 
sooner or later (maybe right now), make him the 
special object of our kindness. 

Oh, yes, I know, fellows, it is much easier to do 
the way you feel like doing. But when your boat 
is drifting down the current, which is the natural 
way, it takes a Real Fellow to dig his oars in and 
turn and row up-stream. And that's what you pro- 
pose to be : a Real Fellow, and the best part of it is 
you then become a Yoke-fellow with Jesus Christ; 
and let me tell you, He pulls a good oar! 

Fellows, drifting means " over the falls." " There 
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 16:25). 
Pulling up-stream with Christ means getting to the 
sunshine of the eternal hills. " But the path of the 
righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more 
and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4: 18). 

Fellows, I had rather pull with Christ than drift 
with the devil, wouldn't you? 

Read the twelfth chapter of Romans. 



XVI 

RESURRECTION 

SAY, fellows, I'll never forget one exciting 
morning on the banks of the Etowah River, a 
treacherous stream that threads its way 
through the red hills of northwest Georgia. A bunch 
of us boys were spending that morning in swimming. 
Not much swimming, either, for only one boy in the 
crowd could swim, and all except him were under 
thirteen years old. Bob was fifteen, and a good 
swimmer. One of the boys waded out pretty deep, 
and the undercurrent swept him off his feet. There 
was a cry, and he sank. 

Then it was that Bob did a fine thing, which has 
caused the rest of us to look upon him as a real hero 
ever since. He ran along the bank, down-stream a 
little way, and jumped in, rapidly made his way to a 
point a few yards below where the boy had gone 
down, dived, and came up with him. The rest of us 
waded out as far as we dared, to meet him, and all 
together we drew the couple to shore. But, fellows, 
that boy was dead — at least he seemed to be, and we 
were certain of it. 

We lifted his limp body out of the water and laid 
it on the ground. We were three miles from town. 
Scared? We were terrified! All of us were trem- 
bling from head to foot with fright. There were no 

60 



EESUEEECTION 61 

Boy Scouts in those days, and boys had not learned 
the scientific way to restore a drowned person to 
life. We were alone and helpless in the presence of 
sudden death, and knew not what to do. 

One boy suggested that we ought to "get the 
water out of him," and that was followed by another 
suggestion, to put the body over the lower limb of 
a near-by tree letting the head hang down, so the 
water could run out of the mouth. This we pro- 
ceeded to do, with a great deal of difficulty, but finally 
we got it up there, hanging across the limb, pretty 
much like a wet necktie. 

After the body had hung in the tree about five min- 
utes, while we stood about, panting, pale, and terror- 
stricken, we again took it down and laid it out on 
the ground. All of a sudden, to our amazement 
there was a movement about the mouth and a little 
gasp, as for breath. The rough handling of the body 
getting it in and out of the tree had had some effect. 

Instinctively we began to roll him over and move 
his arms about. We knew nothing of the proper 
method, but the mouth opened and he breathed 
again — then again — and as we let him rest a moment 
on his back, he opened his eyes and looked at us, 
from one to the other. 

Fellows, can you imagine how we felt? Well, we 
couldn't speak; we just jumped around like Indians 
and shouted and laughed and cried. It was won- 
derful — the most thrilling experience I think I ever 
had, but I was wobbly in the knees for a week after- 
ward. 

The thing which tremendously impressed me was 



62 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

the coming Sack from death to life — for so it seemed 
to us. But what do you suppose must have been the 
feelings of those two women and the disciples, on 
that astonishing morning when the two Marys went 
at early dawn with spices to place about the Lord's 
body, — the body which they had seen die upon the 
cross two days before ; the body they had seen lifted 
down from the cross and which they had helped to 
prepare for burial ; the body they had seen sealed up 
in the tomb as the sun went down on the darkest, 
saddest day the world ever knew? 

What must have been their feelings, I say, fellows, 
when suddenly He appeared before them alive and 
well and speaking ? How they must have leaped to 
do the thing their risen Lord commanded : " Go 
quickly— tell." 

Do you know what it all means to you fellows who 
have accepted Him as your Saviour and Friend and 
Guide ? 

It means this : that you in your youth, full of life 
and with all the thrill of growing strength and man- 
hood, have no dead and lifeless program to follow, 
no fickle and disappointing " rewards " which perish 
with using; but yours is always a forward, up-going 
experience — something doing every day that is worth 
while, something that brings a thrill which does not 
die out and leave you weaker, but makes you stronger 
every day, and prepares you for a yet bigger task, 
■—a living task and a living reward — Eternal Life! 

Read John 20: 1-21^ 



XVII 
KNOWING HOW 

SAY, fellows, have you heard of the expert who 
was called in to start the big engine? Every 
wheel in the plant had come to a sudden stand- 
still. Something had gone wrong in the engine room, 
and the engineer was nonplused. To save his life he 
could not locate the trouble. The superintendent was 
down there mad as a hornet. A thousand operatives 
were idle on full pay, and it was like burning money 
on an ash heap. Still that engineer fumbled around. 
The " super " telephoned for the expert to come at 
once and see what was the matter. 

Directly, he walked quietly in, glanced at the steam 
gauge and turned the throttle wheel a bit. Then, 
with a tiny hammer which he drew from his pocket 
he lightly tapped some parts of the machine, here 
and there. He paused at a certain pipe leading to 
the steam chest, called for a wrench, removed a tap 
and a plate, peered in, then carefully picked out a 
piece of cotton waste and replaced the plate and tap. 
" Now open your throttle," he said to the engineer. 
The big engine moved off like a thing of life, pulleys 
began to whirl and belts to whirr, and a thousand 
hands resumed their work. 

In the office the expert handed in his memorandum 
charge. It was fifty dollars and fifty cents. 

63 



64 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

"It is all right," said the superintendent, "we're 
glad to pay it, but would you mind telling me what 
the fifty cents is for?" 

The expert smiled, " Why, that is my charge for 
the one minute spent in locating your trouble, the fifty 
dollars is for knowing how" 

Fellows, your life is a great big costly engine, built 
with infinite skill, and you are the engineer. It is a 
wonderful thing running that engine, — wonderful be- 
cause it is the motive power to turn many wheels and 
affect many lives. Rightly understood and properly 
handled it will produce great values, and be a blessing 
to the world. Misunderstood and carelessly handled, 
it will cause loss and suffering to you and perhaps 
many others. 

As a boy, I used to go to the engine room of my 
father's mill and watch the engineer. Continually, 
he moved about, watching its movements, its big fly- 
wheel half below in the pit, half above, and the broad 
belt that glided over it and disappeared through the 
brick wall into the mill ; now he would be refilling the 
oil cups, now noting the steam gauge, or polishing 
the shining brass trimmings almost with a caress. 
He was the first man on hand in the morning, and the 
last man to leave at night. Oh, how well he must 
know his engine, how carefully he must guard its 
movements, how always he must be on the job, if he 
would be a capable, successful, happy engineer! 

And what is God's Word telling us about it to- 
day? Listen, "Happy is the man that findeth wis- 
dom [to know God, to know himself, to know his 
engine], and the man that getteth understanding 



KNOWING HOW 65 

[how to run his engine]. For the merchandise of it 
is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain 
thereof than fine gold. Length of days is in her 
right hand [a long and happy career of productive 
energy] and in her left hand riches [the actual wealth 
which God promises to those who obey His law and 
love His service, and the inexpressible satisfaction 
which comes with the honour that honours God first 
of all]." 

Every fellow can have this wisdom for the asking. 
Every fellow can know how to run his life engine, 
to avoid the breakdowns, to keep the wheels hum- 
ming the song of industry and success. Life is the 
most interesting thing in the world, and God gives it 
abundantly. " If any of you lack wisdom, let him 
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up- 
braideth not ; and it shall be given him." 

Now, fellows, here is the whole matter in a nut- 
shell: Your life machine is the most wonderful, the 
most mysterious, and at the same time the most " run- 
nable " thing that the great God has created ; but to 
run it successfully, as God designed it to be run, you 
must get your instructions from Him, the Maker of 
it. His Book of Rules, the Bible, must be your daily 
guide, and through it He will speak to you in your 
wonderful day as you live it in His companionship. 

Fellows, it is the Life ! 

Read Psalm 119: i-li. 



XVIII 
FRIENDSHIP 

SAY, fellows, if you were blindfolded and walk- 
ing a plank above Niagara Falls, humanly 
speaking your chances would be about as good 
as David's were when King Saul in a frenzy of rage 
and jealousy was seeking his life. David sized it up 
when he said : " There is but a step between me and 
death." 

If ever a fellow needed a friend, David needed one 
at that time. 

And a friend he had — a friend with a backbone, a 
true friend — as brave as any knight who sat at King 
Arthur's Table Round or followed in the train of 
Richard Cceur de Lion. 

Young gentlemen, meet Prince Jonathan ! 

He never got to be a king, but he had a kingly 
spirit — if that means something high and noble. He 
never deserted a cause which had a claim upon him. 
He was true to Saul, his father; he fell at Gilboa 
fighting by his side. He was true to David, his 
friend, unto the point of death. 

You may recall that in a former chapter I men- 
tioned the opinion that David was the kind of a fel- 
low any red-blooded boy would like. On that day 
of wonders, when in the twinkling of an eye the 
shepherd lad became the champion of two armies, 

66 



FEIENDSHIP 67 

wfien the musical fingers of the boy who played a 
harp and tended sheep did the execution which routed 
the enemy and laid a giant's head at the feet of the 
king — that day Jonathan's soul was knit to the soul 
of David in a lifelong friendship. It was the kind 
of friendship which stands the test of adversity. 

It was no wonder that David could have the admir- 
ing friendship even of a prince on the day of his 
triumph and for days afterward when all people were 
singing his praises and he moved upon the high places 
of royal and popular favour. If the tide had not 
turned, Jonathan's friendship would have been only 
an incident upon the page of history, if it had been 
recorded at all. It would not have been a thing so 
fine, so inspiring, as to have thirty millions of Sunday- 
school folks discussing it to-day. 

But the tide turned, and there came a day when 
it was expensive and hazardous to be a friend of 
David. Jonathan's position became both delicate and 
perilous. Saul his father was a despot who would 
take his own son's life if he sought to excuse or 
defend one whom the king conceived to be his enemy. 
Jonathan's friendship stood the test. His own life 
hung lightly in the balance, but Jonathan would 
rather have given his life than fail his friend. He 
took it in his hand that evening at the royal feast of 
the new moon; and he played with death as the 
javelin of the infuriated Saul came hurtling across 
the table. 

Then it was that this thing called Friendship sprang 
forth in all its wonderful strength and beauty and 
found its place in poetry and song. Greater love hath 



68 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his 
friends, said Jesus. Ah ! there is the best friend of 
all— Jesus! And what did He do ? Well, He did this, 
which proves it: 

There came a day when you and I were fugitives 
from the king — not a tyrant king, like Saul, but a just 
and holy God; not an innocent fugitive, like David, 
but a sinner meriting the King's wrath and curse; 
and One stood in the councils of Eternity — the Great 
White Prince — and said, " Father, forgive him ; let 
me take his place ; let me suffer his punishment ; let 
me bear his shame ; but him forgive and restore to a 
place in court and to the joy of the Royal Service." 

And the King consented, and the Son came to 
earth and died upon the cross to satisfy the law 
and make it possible for you and me, fugitive sinners, 
to return to the King's Table — forgiven and restored I 

Let's go ! 

Read the twentieth chapter of I Samuel. 



XIX 

ALABASTER 

SAY, fellows, a bunch of college students were 
talking over the news that had come to the 
campus that morning about Bob Allman. They 
were not only surprised ; they were mad, for " Bob 
Allman had done the biggest fool thing ever com- 
mitted by any decent fellow that the college had sent 
out," — that was the unanimous verdict. And of all 
the bunch in last year's graduating class, Bob was 
the last one you would have suspected of such a 
thing, he had so much at stake. He was the clearest- 
headed, the best-balanced, the finest physical speci- 
men, the smartest chap in the lot. Bob was one of 
those rare fellows who could stand high in his classes 
and be popular with the boys and the professors 
alike. He was president of his class and captain 
of the Varsity football team, and everybody was glad 
of it. 

The amazing news had arrived, in a letter from 
Bob, himself, to one of the boys stating that he was 
that very week at Vancouver, taking ship for China, 
where he had accepted a position as school-teacher on 
the banks of the Yangtse; there he would preside 
over a room full of Chinese boys about seven hours 
every day, while they monotonously swayed back- 
ward and forward to the droning of their "study 
voices " in the characteristic Chinese fashion. 

69 



70 "SAT, FELLOWS!" 

Bob's friend showed the letter. He had no more 
sympathy for Bob's reasons than the bunch had; it 
was " simply a horrible mess — an outrageous 
slaughter of talent." That was what they decided. 
Bob's letter had said: 

" I don't suppose you will understand it now ; I 
hope you may, later; but out there are living (dying, 
I had better say) about four hundred and twenty-five 
millions of people, practically without a knowledge of 
Christ. I know Jesus Christ, not only as my Sa- 
viour, but as the very finest and best friend a fellow 
ever had. I know what the knowledge of Him can 
mean to one human life. I know that He wants those 
people to meet Him and to know Him as I do. It has 
suddenly dawned upon me that I can go over there 
and help introduce those strangers to my Lord, and 
by doing so not only please Him but save them from 
eternal death. 

" I couldn't be happy at anything else, Gus. Maybe 
you will smile — if it doesn't make you mad — but just 
wait, old fellow; give me time. Unless I am the 
worst fooled mortal that ever lived, I have got hold of 
the really big job — one that takes all that is in a 
man. Oh, it's easy to make money, and it's easy to 
do some stunt that wins applause; but after it all, 
when ' the tumult and the shouting dies/ what have 
you got ? 

"And what have I got? do you ask? Well, first, 
I've got about the best inside feelings you ever could 
imagine. I've got a happy heart. I've got the cour- 
age of my convictions. But, best of all, I've got my 
Master's smile; and one day, if my faith does not 



ALABASTEB 71 

fail, and I don't believe it will, I'll get His 'well 
done ' — and that will be worth it all. 

" Gus, I wish you were going with me, old fellow. 
Smile, but think it over. You will graduate next 
year. Say, I'm going to expect you. But in the 
meantime, remember: Nothing you've got is too fine 
or too rare to lay down in service to Jesus Christ ! " 

Fellows, that was fifteen years ago. Want to take 
a look at Bob now ? It is a thrilling picture I see. A 
group of fine buildings— a great Christian college in 
China, built for the most part by the Chinese them- 
selves. Bob is the president of it. He wouldn't 
swap positions with the President of the United 
States, nor would he care to be a captain of finance 
or a Supreme Court Judge. Bob has for fifteen 
years been " living the life," and it's going finer each 
year. 

He has had the supreme joy of seeing Christian 
Chinese business men, statesmen, and great leaders 
go out from his college to take their places of in- 
fluence and leadership in the affairs of an Empire — 
in some respects, particularly in population and un- 
developed resources, the greatest upon earth. Bob 
himself has been called time and again into the 
highest councils of the nation. He is engaged in 
introducing men — and through them a great multi- 
tude — to his Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Yes, fellows, boys have alabaster boxes, too — and 

there's only one place to break them — at the feet of 

Jesus. 

Read Mark 14: 3~9> 



XX 

TELLING IT 

SAY, fellows, do you know it is impossible for 
anybody to tell with words the whole story of 
the cross. The only way you can tell the 
story in its real power is to live it. 

I have heard there was a high-caste Chinese boy, 
the son of a wealthy mandarin, governor of one of 
the Chinese provinces. This father was very ambi- 
tious for his boy, hoping that one day he would suc- 
ceed him as chief executive. Therefore to secure 
for him the most modern and progressive education, 
he sent the boy a hundred miles away to a school on 
the Great Canal, taught by American missionaries. 
" To get the Western learning," he told the boy, but 
not the foreign devils' religion. 

The teacher in Yuan Ki's room was a six-footer, a 
college graduate, and an athlete. Yuan Ki was much 
impressed. He secretly admired him, but was un- 
graciously curt to him. This was Yuan Ki's way of 
making the teacher "keep his distance." But the 
teacher seemed not to notice it. He was always 
kind to Yuan Ki, even as he was to the others. 

One morning at chapel teacher talked about his 
God. Yuan Ki sneered at what he told. Actually, 
teacher had said that his God had come down to 
earth and had given up His life on a cross, as a sin- 



TELLING IT 73 

offering for all people, even His own enemies. Yuan 
Ki wrote his father about this "ridiculous story." 

One day Yuan Ki was taken sick with a high fever 
and placed in the school hospital. That night as he 
turned his feverish head from side to side on the 
pillow, he felt a cool hand laid on his brow. It was 
the teacher. Yuan Ki turned his face away, affect- 
ing not to see him. The second night, he kept the 
boy's feverish brow cooled with iced cloths until the 
fever subsided. Yuan Ki was distressed at the sit- 
uation, but all the more determined to ignore the 
teacher's kindness. 

At noon recess one day the boys were playing on 
the sloping grounds between the school building and 
the river. It was strictly against the rules for the 
boys to go past a certain low wall, toward the water. 
But Yuan Ki and Wang To, seeing the teacher sitting 
near one of the windows and knowing how it would 
disturb him, ran over the wall and jumped on to the 
deck of a house-boat moored near by. Yuan Ki saw 
the teacher look up in alarm and start as if to jump 
from the window, which was ten feet from the 
ground. Yuan Ki ran to the outer end of the house- 
boat, intending to jump to the deck of another house- 
boat alongside, but in doing so, slipped and fell into 
the swift current. The boy could not swim, and 
after a brief struggle he sank and knew no more. 

It was two days later that Yuan Ki came to con- 
sciousness. He was puzzled quite a little until he 
figured out that he was in the hospital bed again, and 
it was in the early dawn of the morning. There 
seemed to be nobody else in the room. Yuan Ki 



74 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

could see through the open door, across the hallway, 
into the large reception room opposite. There was a 
long, strange-shaped, box-like thing, with some can- 
dles burning near by. Curiosity getting the better of 
him, Yuan Ki got up and crept across the hall. Com- 
ing close to the casket, he looked through the glass 
cover — and there lay the teacher. 

Just then a hand was laid on Yuan Ki's shoulder, 
and the nurse hustled him back to bed, scolding him 
for his imprudence. " But," said Yuan Ki, " the 
teacher — how did he die ? " 

" Lie still," said the nurse, " and I will tell you. 
When you fell into the water, teacher jumped from 
that high window to the ground. It seemed to sprain 
his ankle, or something, for he limped badly as he 
made his way to the water. He reached you just as 
you went down the last time, and bore you up. A 
man ran out on the deck with a boat-hook and reached 
for you both. He caught your sleeve and hauled 
you in, but the current carried teacher out of reach, 
and then we saw him sink. He was an expert swim- 
mer, but the sprain must have caused him to lose 
consciousness." 

Yuan Ki's next letter to his father read in part like 
this : " My father, my heart is broken, for I shall not 
see your face again. I know that what I shall tell 
you means that your hopes for me will be crushed and 
that you will disinherit me; but, oh, my father, I 
have learned now what is the love of Christ. Teacher 
had tried to tell us about his Christ, who said: 
• Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends.' 



TELLING IT 75 

" And now, my father, there is but one thing for 
me to do, and that is, myself, to take the place which 
this noble servant of his Master has left vacant — his 
Master — now my Master, too, for He has accepted me 
and I have accepted Him. I have resolved to train 
to go to my countrymen and tell them of this won- 
derful God, the like of whom there is none other." 

Jesus gave all of Himself for us. We cannot give 
less than all of ourselves for Him. 

Read Mark 15: 16-47, 



XXI 

READY! 

SAY, fellows, once in my life — and only once — I 
had a chance to shoot a deer. It was in the 
Tennessee mountains. A party of us boys 
travelled over a rough mountain road all of two days 
before reaching the hunting grounds. About day- 
light of the third day each one of us was given a 
" stand," that is, stationed at a point where the game 
would likely pass when started by the hounds. The 
seasoned old guide cautioned us to keep still and 
watch. " One thing sartin," said he, " deer is in thar, 
an' when they comes out they comes this a-way." 

I had never been deer hunting before. I have never 
been since. It was my one opportunity, and as the 
party left me, to distribute themselves at other points 
of vantage along the " run," I took up my stand under 
considerable excitement. In an hour I heard the 
dogs far in the distance. They were evidently run- 
ning. That meant the game was running, too, — how 
many and in what direction I could only guess, 

Every nerve and muscle was tense with expecta- 
tion. The music of the hounds grew fainter. " Evi- 
dently circling again," I mused. I was getting to be 
quite a huntsman, and chuckled at how David 
Crocketty my observations were. 

Another hour I waited. A squirrel came out on a 
76 



READY ! 77 

limb, and with its antics and barking helped me pass 
the time. A while I watched it, now and then drop- 
ping my eyes to a level for the expected deer. Sud- 
denly, as I dropped my eyes, the most thrilling sight 
confronted them. They nearly popped out — my 
eyes. There, within fifty feet of me, stood a magnif- 
icent buck. 

I shall never forget the picture. His beautiful, 
keen limbs slightly quivering, his sleek sides glistening 
in the slanting rays of the sun as they throbbed in and 
out with his rapid panting. His head held high, the 
antlers looked like a picture. 

All this had happened in less than five seconds. I 
only had to veer my gun two inches. My hand was 
on the trigger, and with a perfect " bead " on his left 
shoulder — right where the old guide had said the 
night before was the spot to aim for. 

Snap ! left barrel. 

Snap ! right barrel. 

Off like the wind, Mr. Buck ! 

Fellows, I have never been sicker than I was at 
that moment, but once. My sickest was in the next 
moment, when I unbreached my gun and found there 
was no shell in either barrel! 

Foolish? 

You can call it any name you please and I won't 
defend it. Think of me at the camp-fire that night, 
fellows. 

Foolish? Yes, I suppose that is the right word. 
It is a much stronger word, though, than we realize. 
Jesus used it in this parable of the ten virgins who 
went out to meet the bridegroom. But He used it to 



*78 "SAY, FELLOWS !" 

describe a real tragedy, the greatest tragedy of life; 
the tragedy of being unprepared at His coming. 

And when is He coming, fellows ? Nobody knows. 
He has not even told the angels that secret. We 
don't have to know it. We only have to be ready. 

And how to be ready ? Simple as A B C, fellows. 
Just be busy, doing God's will — or making an honest 
effort to do it, and asking Him to help. Anybody 
can be ready to meet Him when He comes, if he wants 
to and will try. Just be doing your work and playing 
your play, as He would have you do it. 

But, fellows, it is a big risk to " put off " getting 
ready. Do it now while you are young, with all life 
before you, by saying: " Lord Jesus, here is my life. 
Use it in just whatever way you choose. Plan it for 
me and help me carry out the plan." That is the way 
to bag the Big Game. Some of life's greatest op- 
portunities come but once, and then by surprise. The 
happiest and most successful life is the God-planned 
life, and a God-planned life never misses the Big 
Opportunity, because it is ready — always ready. 
Ready for life, however long or short it may be ; ready 
for death whenever that must be; ready for the 
Coming of the Lord Himself, which may be any 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 

Are you ready, fellows ? 

Read Matthew 25: 1-13. 



XXII 
REMEMBERING 

SAY, fellows, all through the United States some 
years ago there sounded a slogan. It was a 
slogan of hate, — a slogan of revenge. It was 
the rallying cry of the Navy, it was shouted by the 
Army. Newspapers carried it daily on the front 
page, alongside their titles; business houses had it 
printed on their stationery; it was engraved upon 
souvenirs; it hung as a motto upon the walls at 
many public gatherings, and it became a household 
word throughout the nation : "Remember the Maine !" 

Remember — remember — never forget. And the 
purpose in remembering was Retaliation. One night 
while the United States battleship Maine lay peace- 
fully at anchor in the harbour of Havana, an 
explosion tore a great hole in her hull and she quickly 
sank, carrying down many officers and men to sudden 
death. 

There was hardly any doubt that Spanish officers 
had from the shore treacherously exploded a mine 
underneath the battleship, and later investigations 
seemed to confirm this theory. Immediately the 
United States, an outraged nation, arose to drive the 
Spanish army from Cuba and her navy from Ameri- 
can waters, and the spirit of revenge was kept alive 
by the slogan, " Remember the Maine ! " 

Now, fellows, those are just the cold facts to show 
79 



80 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

how powerfully can be used the word, Remember — 
how powerfully to kill and to destroy; how power- 
fully to nourish the harsh and cruel side of our 
natures. Not that it was wrong for America to lift 
the Spanish yoke from helpless Cuba, we are not deal- 
ing with that question. That with which we have to 
do to-day is the energy and force developed by 
remembering. Like dynamite, it can be force for 
good or for evil. Remembering the taunts and 
cruelties of our enemies usually carries us into a 
cruel and destructive program. 

I am so glad this lesson presents to us the good side 
of that really great word Remember, for to-day it is 
Remember Jesus. When you link that Name with a 
word it transforms it ; link that Name with a life and 
it transforms it. Jesus Himself gave us the slogan. 
He was so intent upon our keeping it in mind that 
He instituted a feast by which we might commemo- 
rate it. 

Even the food of that supper had a significance: 
Bread, to represent His own body nailed upon the 
cross for us, and wine to represent His blood which 
flowed for us. I think, fellows, if you should give 
your life to save another, you would not like that one 
to forget all about it, would you ? 

But Jesus had more than that in mind. He knew 
that " remembering " would mean much to you who 
are trying to live a straight-out Christian life. Cele- 
brating at stated times by this Remembrance Supper 
would help you to remember Him also between times. 
It is in these between times we so much need the 
power which comes by Remembering Jesus. 



EEMEMBEEING 81 

Am I downhearted because I have been mistreated ? 
Remember Jesus. He was most mistreated of all men. 
Am I feeling that I'd like to " get even " with some- 
body and redress a wrong? Remember Jesus. He 
did not strike back, but laid down His life for His 
enemies. Am I feeling that I cannot hold out in this 
Christian program? Remember Jesus. He is right 
by my side and will help me hold out. Do people 
seem to misunderstand me? Remember Jesus. He 
understands, and that is sufficient. Does it look as if 
I am about to make a failure? Remember Jesus, 
through whom we are more than conquerors. 

I tell you, fellows, it is the biggest and finest 
Remember of all, because it makes us strong, it 
makes us happy, it enables us to overcome, it makes 
us invincible! 

Remember Jesus. 

Read I Corinthians n: 23-34. 



XXIII 
GETTING EVEN 

SAY, fellows! I saw a big touring car side- 
swipe a Ford runabout and knock it several 
feet to one side on the country road. Of 
course each of the drivers thought the other was to 
blame, and a warm argument followed. 

The big car was unhurt, and proceeded on its way, 
but the flivver had its running board and fender 
badly battered. While the young fellow of the runa- 
about examined to see what further damage his car 
might have sustained, the prosperous-looking gen- 
tleman was speeding up the highway chuckling over 
his own car's escape from injury. 

I asked the man of the Ford if his engine had suf- 
fered. No, he thought it was all right; he would 
crank up and see. Good! She started off with a 
clutter, and he asked me if I wanted to ride. I had 
not far to go, but gladly accepted, for I was rather 
struck with this young fellow's grip on himself. It 
took self-control to avoid making the air blue with 
abuse. The way that big fellow had hurried on, 
leaving the runabout in trouble, was certainly not on 
the square, to say the least. 

A turn in the road brought a fresh surprise. There 
was the touring car, a hundred yards ahead, standing 
in the middle of the road, hood up, and the big man 

82 



GETTING EVEN 83 

peering into the engine. There was room to pass, 
and I wondered what the man at the wheel in the 
runabout would do. Would the little car rattle past 
with its damaged fender? It would be only human 
nature to sing out some sort of a taunt : " Thought 
you were in a hurry ! " or " Don't block the road ! " — 
and yet this young fellow did not seem to be that 
kind. His self-control during the incident back there 
in the road made me expect something different, and 
I was not disappointed. The runabout did pass, but 
stopped ten yards ahead, and my companion got out. 

" Engine trouble ? Need any help ? " 

The big fellow's face was a puzzle, as he looked up 
with a worried grin and mopped his brow with a 
grease-smeared hand. Yes, there was engine trouble, 
and it was serious. 

To make a long story short, when last I saw them 
as they turned the curve of the road ahead, the 
big car's front axle was connected by a chain to the 
rear of the runabout as it chugged away in low gear 
dragging the big one to the nearest garage. 

Say, fellows! it takes a dead game sport to do a 
trick like that. Any cheap skate can whiz past and 
give his enemy in trouble the hard-boiled eye, but it 
takes a fine soul to be generous when the natural 
impulse calls for spite work. 

In the small hours of that fine morning, as Saul 
slept and as his guards were heavy with sleep about 
him, David put one over on his pursuer — an act of 
kindness which overwhelmed him with shame. David 
had not only to fight a natural impulse to get even, but 
he had with him an adviser who used the most per- 



84 



"SAY, FELLOWS!" 



suasive arguments to induce him to take Saul's life. 
Indeed, Abishai proposed to do the deed himself, as 
though that would leave David clear of guilt in the 
matter. But no, David was a man of principle, and 
he knew three very vital things : 

I, " Vengeance is mine, I will repay," said the Lord. 

2. A magnanimous spirit wins, and no sad regrets 
cloud the victory. 

3. He that ruleth his own spirit is better than he 
that taketh a city. 

Read twenty-sixth chapter of I Samuel and 
Romans 12: 20-21. 



XXIV 

GREATNESS 

SAY, fellows, if I should make up an unusually 
good story about you, some noble thing you 
did, or some kind and generous act, to whom 
should I tell it, to be sure it would be believed ? Yes, 
I see you know of whom I am thinking — your 
mother. I might tell your brother and sister, and 
they would say : " Phew ! are you sure it was Dick ? " 
I might tell your employer, and his eyes would roam 
around over the objects on his desk; or your teacher, 
and he would look at the sky and say : " Think it will 
rain?" I might tell your father, and he would be 
grateful — but surprised! But let me tell your 
mother! There I would find one who is ready to 
believe anything good I would say about you. 

I tell you, fellows, a mother is a wonderful gift to 
a boy, for her prayers alone. Long before you 
learned to say, " Now I lay me down to sleep," she 
was praying that you would be a great and good man 
some day. Those prayers of mothers have kept 
many a boy from going wrong. One night in a great 
city where I had gone to find work I had fallen in 
with some young fellows who " knew the ropes," and 
being far from home and lonesome I was glad to ac- 
cept their companionship. They invited me to join 
them in an " evening lark " to which no loyal Chris- 

8 S 



86 "SAY, FELLOWS !" 

tian would lend himself, and though I was a nominal 
Christian I was tempted sorely. I regarded myself 
as " my own man," having just turned twenty-one. 

But just as I wavered between right and wrong, my 
mother's face flashed before me. It was only for an 
instant, but it was enough. I heard her voice, heard 
it in prayer. That night a thousand miles away she 
was praying for me, and saved me from what might 
have been a fatal step. I firmly believe, fellows, but 
for my mother's prayers that night and many nights, 
before and since, I should not now be enjoying the 
privilege of talking about the great things of life and 
the Kingdom to you. 

Treasure that dear mother, if you have one, fel- 
lows ; she is God's peculiar gift. 

Well, James and John had such a mother, and she 
did the most natural and motherly kind of a thing. 
She wanted her boys to go away up high ; they must 
even stand in the highest places, on the right and left 
hand of the King in His glory. Like all mothers, she 
was ambitious for her boys. 

Then Jesus in His wonderful way explained that 
the road to true greatness was not that which the 
world was following, in which those in power and 
authority were overbearing masters to their inferiors ; 
but it is a path of service to mankind, a path already 
blazed by Himself. Last night in the local evening 
paper I saw these headlines: Chattanooga Doctor 
Attains Eminence. The article stated that a very 
remarkable invention for the removal of foreign par- 
ticles from the lungs or bronchial tubes, such as might 
be accidentally swallowed, had been successfully 



GEEATNESS 87 

demonstrated before a national medical society, and 
had been written up in the American Medical Journal; 
it was said that the discovery had brought great 
honour to the doctor in the world of medicine. 

That was the recognition, but what had preceded ? 
Days and nights at bedsides of suffering; days and 
nights in the laboratory; days and nights of study to 
relieve pain; hours of weariness unknown to the 
world, but borne on by the thought of doing a service 
to humanity. And do you suppose the final publicity 
is what rewards this doctor? Hardly. A reporter 
on his local city paper sought an interview, after the 
far-away medical journal had published the first news, 
but the doctor, in his service overalls in the midst of 
treating his patients, declined the interview, saying it 
would involve a technical description which the gen- 
eral public would hardly be interested in. Then it was 
" Good-morning," and the doctor returned to his 
work. 

True greatness does not care to make one dash to 
fame, then loaf in its glory. 

The thing our great Commander wants us to be 
earnest about is doing our best, wherever the place 
of service. He will look after the reward. He is 
even more ambitious for us than our mothers are. 

Read Matthezv 20: 20-28. 



XXV 
" PAW, I WANTA BE SOMEBODY ! " 

SAY, fellows, away back in the mountains of 
western North Carolina, far up on the moun- 
tainside, at the head of a cove, there lived a 
fifteen-year-old boy. He had sisters and brothers 
and parents, but they dwelt in a little tumble-down 
shack and were wretchedly poor. Jake was the old- 
est of the children, and he had to work hard in the 
little patch of corn on the steep mountainside, which 
barely yielded a crop. 

Down the path a mile or so there was a little log 
schoolhouse where a lady teacher gave some of the 
mountain children lessons in " reading ritin', and 
'rithmetic." Jake had passed and repassed that 
schoolhouse many times and wished that he might 
" go thar and larn," but Jake was too important a 
hand on " the farm " to " waste enny time at sich " — 
so thought his parents, neither of whom could read or 
write. "An' Jake was pow'ful handy 'bout fixin' 
things, like tools en sich." 

One day, when " the crop " was pretty well " laid 
by," Jake came to the shack and, throwing his hoe 
into the corner, said : " Paw, I wanta be Somebody ! " 
Then Jake went on to say he had been thinking that 
now the corn was in shape to go ahead and make 

88 



"PAW, I WANTA BE SOMEBODY !» 89 

what it would, he " might put in some time ev'y day 
at the schoolhouse a-larnin' how to read and write." 

"But y'ain't got nothin' to buy books," was sug- 
gested. 

" 111 see 'bout that 'ar," said Jake. 

Next morning when the teacher arrived, Jake was 
waiting at the schoolhouse door. 

" Teacher," said he, " I ain't got no money to buy 
books, but I kin git up the wood ev'y day for the 
stove, 'n I kin sweep out the schoolhouse 'n keep it 
clean — cain't ye loan me a book 'n let me come 'n 
larn?" 

Jake's terms were accepted. No boy was ever 
prouder of a university scholarship than Jake was of 
that chance to " larn " in the little mountain school- 
house. Jake went after " larnin' " as a boy goes for 
pie at the picnic dinner. 

A few months later, the school was visited by the 
superintendent of one of the large North Carolina 
mountain mission schools. When the teacher told 
him about Jake, he offered him an opportunity to 
enter the mission school and succeeded in persuading 
his parents to let him go. Jake was put to work tak- 
ing care of the farm machinery in the agricultural 
department of the mission, but with ample time to 
pursue his studies in the schoolroom. 

It was noticed that he had special aptitude for 
fixing the farm implements and adjusting the parts — 
even making some of the missing parts at the old 
blacksmith forge. The superintendent was so im- 
pressed with this that as soon as Jake's education had 
made pretty fair progress, he secured him a position 



90 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

in the dynamo room of a large manufacturing plant 
in a near-by town. Jake had accepted Jesus Christ 
as his Saviour and Master while at the mission school, 
owned his Bible, read it faithfully every day, and was 
a consistent young Christian. 

It was a triumph for Jake, when he got a discarded 
dynamo out of its corner and saved the purchase of a 
new machine. His employers soon saw that he was 
entitled to even a better chance than they could give 
him, and after they had some correspondence with a 
great electrical manufacturing firm in New England, 
Jake one day bade farewell to his " Tarheel " friends 
and took a north-bound train. 

At the great electrical plant, his career was con- 
tinuously upward. 

It takes five figures to name his salary. Every 
Sunday morning you will see Jake and his family get 
into their big car and motor into the city, where Jake 
teaches a large and enthusiastic class of young men. 

The mountain boy has realized his wish: he is 
Somebody ! 

No fellow can do a finer thing than make his life 
count as a force in Christianizing the nation — to make 
it stand out a shining light, pointing the world to 
Christ. And one effective way to do that is to apply 
himself, with a Christ-loving heart, to the opportunity 
that comes to his hands to build himself up in a 
Christian way and in a business way. For good busi- 
ness and Christian integrity are twin screw propel- 
lers. 

The fellow that gets the good job, the fellow that 
suddenly finds himself in a position of power and 



"PAW, I WANTA BE SOMEBODY!" 91 

privileged service to his world about him is the fellow 
who is found faithful to the smaller work or the 
smaller opportunity that lies next to his hand. 
Oh, fellows, it is the only life ! 

Read Matthew 25: 14-30. 



XXVI 

"LET DOWN YOUR FEET!" 

SAY, fellows, something happened two summers 
ago at a well-known resort in the mountains, 
which even at this late day it quickens my 
pulse to recall. I was one of the very few eye- 
witnesses of the " tragedy," and it nearly put me to 
bed with nervous prostration. It was about twilight 
one evening when I passed near the lake on my way 
to our cottage for supper. 

The gay throng of swimmers had apparently all 
dispersed to the hotels and cottages for the evening 
meal and preparation for the concert in the audi- 
torium. That lake was a very popular place in the 
afternoon ; there were accommodations for all grades 
of swimmers — from the expert divers who used the 
platform, spring-board, and tall diving ladder on the 
deep side, to the smallest children, who paddled and 
waded in the shallow water under the watchful care 
of their nurses on the other side. The lake was not 
over a hundred yards wide at the widest. 

I was just noting how deserted and quiet was the 
place which only a few moments before had been 
fairly alive with a happy throng of sport lovers, little 
and big, when I saw coming toward the platform from 
the bath house a tall, thin man in his bathing suit. 
He looked so pale and weak and thin that I won- 

92 



" LET DOWN YOUE FEET ! " 93 

dered if he could possibly be thinking of going into 
that cold water at that time of evening and alone! 

I had not long to be in doubt about it, for straight 
out on the platform he went and then on the spring- 
board! He lifted his arms above his head and 
pointed his hands together as a man going to dive. 
The man looked so weak and thin that I felt positive 
he would not be able to swim in that water, so chilled 
by the mountain springs that fed it. I wondered if 
he knew how cold it was and how weak he was. 

Should I run the risk of " butting in," and warn 
him ? Suppose I did not and he should begin to sink, 
could I jump in that fifteen- foot water with my 
clothes on and save him? These thoughts flashed 
rapidly through my mind, but in the twinkling of an 
eye he was off the spring-board, head downward into 
the water. 

I held my breath and waited for him to rise. It 
seemed he had gone to the bottom and stuck there; 
the water became actually smooth again, and almost 
still, where he had disappeared. I thought he would 
never come up. My heart jumped into my throat. 

Then he came up — very near where he had gone 
down — and faintly struck out swimming. I thought 
of course he would at once make for the piers of the 
platform; surely a fellow swimming as weakly as 
that, all alone, and in water cold and deep, would not 
risk himself far from shore. But, to my amazement, 
he was apparently starting for the other side ! 

It was then I discovered I was not the only witness. 
On the other side of the lake, down close to the 
water's edge, and watching with evident anxiety, was 



94 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

a lady. It was easy to see by her movements that 
she had a strong personal interest in the swimmer's 
actions, and that she was very anxiously watching 
him. She had evidently come down to keep him com- 
pany, or as a precaution, while he took his solitary 
evening swim. 

These things, which were taken in at a glance, 
coupled with the fact that the swimmer was plainly 
growing weaker and making very poor progress, con- 
firmed all my apprehensions, and I was just thinking 
I must quickly take measures for his relief when I 
saw coming out of the bath house on a dead run, two 
husky young fellows in bathing suits, making for the 
spring-board. 

At the same time the lady shouted : " Father ! 
Father ! can you make it ? " 

The swimmer gurgled something which sounded 
like, " No." 

He had gotten about half-way across and was 
merely struggling to keep his head above water. The 
two huskies went off the spring-board so close one 
behind the other that it looked foolhardy, and struck 
out rapidly for the drowning man, but he had gone 
down his second time already. 

It was a race between life and death. I said: 
"They will never reach him in time." The lady 
screamed. Then a new voice broke upon the still 
evening air. A boy over on the walkway by the dam 
shouted at the top of his lungs : " Mister! Let down 
your feet! " The struggling man heard it ; he did let 
down his feet, rose up about waist deep in the water 
and walked out! 



" LET DOWN YOUR FEET ! " 95 

Fellows, as I walked on up the hill toward supper, 
trying to work my heart back down where it belonged, 
I did some tall thinking. Had / ever " drowned " in 
shallow water? Sure, I had. The great big things 
God has planned for you and me to do seem im- 
possible because we do not take into account that they 
are to be done through God's power and not our 
own. 

We summon the nerve to tackle the task, but, 
forgetting Him, like Peter trying to walk on the wa- 
ter, we sink. We foolishly try to do the thing in our 
own strength, when there at our hand is the great 
power of Almighty God just waiting to flow through 
us and accomplish it gloriously. 

Oh, fellows, if you would just let down your feet 
on the mighty power of God, you would walk out of 
all your difficulty. Here is a great overpowering 
temptation getting the best of you — and you, drown- 
ing in shallow water. 

Let down your feet ! Here is an inspiring challenge 
out of God's Word, to put forth your hand and heart 
and mind and help win the world for Him. You are 
tempted to say : " Who ami?" Let down your feet, 
and you'll see who you are. You are a child of God, 
through whom He is willing to do mighty works. 

And you will rise upon your feet, you poor, weak 
fellow, and you will hold aloft the Banner of the 
Cross, and you will achieve for God in a way that 
will set all the bells of heaven ringing. 

Read Matthew 28: 16-20. 



XXVII 
AN "UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY" 

SAY, fellows, when that " Indian," Wambganss, 
put three men out with one unassisted play in 
the world's series and retired the Brooklyn 
Dodgers with bases full, twenty thousand frantic 
Cleveland fans rose as one man and sent up a yell 
that sounded like the roar of Niagara. It comes but 
once in a generation for a lone baseball player to 
make an " unassisted triple play " in a world's series, 
and doubtless that night the Cleveland second base- 
man was the most envied baseball player in the world. 
For one man to do, alone, what thousands of onlook- 
ers could not do, was enough to turn all fandom 
topsy-turvy in a delirium of amazement. 

There is something in you and me, fellows, that 
leaps to its feet and screeches with delight when we 
see any one rise to the demands of a crisis and do the 
fine thing. Now, I want you to turn to a place in 
the Bible where is described a finer thing than could 
happen in any world's series. It has always seemed 
to me to be about the most wonderful event that ever 
happened. It is John's account of one of the most 
wonderful miracles that Jesus performed. 

More than five thousand hungry people lingered on 
the hillsides near the lake shore, and there was noth- 
ing for them to eat. Jesus was testing His men that 

9 6 



AN " UNASSISTED TEIPLE PLAY" 97 

day to see how far they had recognized His divine 
power. He turned to Philip and said : " Where shall 
we get food for them ? " Philip did not know it was 
a test question ; neither did he realize that Jesus could 
turn every blade of grass to a loaf of bread if He 
chose to do so. Therefore, Philip replied : "I do 
not know, Lord; it looks as if they will have to go 
home hungry/' 

Now Andrew was casting about to see what he 
might discover to help out the situation, and his eye 
fell upon a boy standing near by with a rather fa- 
miliar shaped bundle in the folds of his tunic. An- 
drew sniffed, and saw the tails of two dried fish 
sticking through. Andrew had a long nose for fish. 
He knew what it was : the boy had brought a lunch 
with him. 

" How many barley cakes have you, son ? " in- 
quired Andrew. " Five," answered the boy. " Wait 
a minute," said Andrew. Something had flashed into 
his mind. It was a big moment for Andrew ; he was 
on the verge of doing a fine thing, himself, and he 
stepped quickly to where Jesus stood. 

" Master ! " he said, his eyes snapping with the 
very thought of what might happen — " Master, 
there's a lad here with five barley cakes and two small 

fishes " and (oh, the tragedy of it!) then he 

must have caught Philip's hard-boiled eye. He must 
have thought, " Now, Philip is saying I'm a fool for 
suggesting such a thing — and I guess I am " ; for he 
quickly added " — but what are they among so 
many? " 

Jesus calmly turned His eyes on Andrew, as though 



98 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

He said : "Almost ! — Andrew — almost did your faith 
win a victory; make the men sit down on the grass, 
and bring the lad's lunch to me." 

Now, fellows, I can imagine Andrew going back to 
that boy and saying, " Son, the Master has need of 
this food you have brought ; shall I take it to Him ? " 
And this boy's first thought, naturally, was : " Then, 
what will I do? I'm a long way from home; I'm 
hungry, and I was just fixing to eat it myself — 
but " 

The boy had been listening to Jesus as He talked 
to the crowd. He had seen those wonderful eyes 
melting with compassion. His own eyes had feasted 
upon that majestic countenance, and his ears had 
tingled, and his boyish heart thrilled with the mar- 
vellous words which fell from the Master's lips. 
" Surely," he had thought, " this must be the Mes- 
siah, for no other could speak like Him, nor work 
these marvellous cures." So quickly he brushed 
aside his self-interest, and held out the little bundle 
of fishes and bread. 

Now, fellows, watch — What? — a triple play at a 
world series and twenty thousand fans leaping and 
yelling like mad? Bless you, no. Something hap- 
pened right then which will be remembered a mil- 
lennium after baseball has been forgotten. Jesus 
took the boy's lunch and fed five thousand hungry 
men, besides women and children, until they could 
eat no more. 

I have many times tried to picture in my imagina- 
tion that glad and astonished boy. His eyes must 
have nearly popped out when he saw what was going 



AN "UNASSISTED TEIPLE PLAY" 99 

on, the Master giving out the bread and fishes — and 
the bread and fishes never giving out! 

And the big news to-day, fellows, is that you and 
I can make a play like that. No matter what it is 
you've got in your hand, let Jesus use it. He can 
do more with it than we can. No matter whether it 
is much or little, give it to Him. In fact, that's the 
way to save it and make the most of it. He said 
so (Luke 9: 24) Himself; give it to Him. It matters 
not so much what it is in your hand; the thing that 
matters is what you do with it. Give it to Him. You 
may not hear the bleachers roar over your gift, but, 
listen, fellows, when a life is surrendered to Christ 
the battlements of heaven ring with a shout that en- 
circles God's throne, and the score is for Eternity ! 

Fellows, let's play the real game. 

Read John 6: 5-14. 



XXVIII 
FORGIVING 

SAY, fellows, I want you to take a look at 
Simon Peter to-day. He is as interesting as 
a fast game of volley ball. And he did get 
some hot ones handed to him. Impulsive fellow that 
he was, he was always getting his foot into it. Peter 
was a plunger ; he wanted to do things, and do them 
right now. Loyal soul — he would fight for his friend 
at the drop of a hat; but he was subject to fits of 
depression, and at such times his heart would fail 
him, or he would lose his grip on himself and do 
something to regret sorely afterward. 

Now, fellows, Jesus loved Peter with a mighty 
love, and He spent much time helping him to gain 
self-control and learn to be a steady, thoroughgoing, 
dependable Christian. Many times Jesus had to call 
him down sharply. Once He even called Peter 
" Satan" (see Mark 8: 33). It really was Satan to 
whom Jesus spoke — Satan operating in Peter, as he 
operates in you and me sometimes when we are weak 
enough to permit it ; but it must have been an awful 
jolt to Peter to get that from his Master. 

Peter gradually improved. He was making an 
honest effort to be the man he ought to be ; but there 
was one thing which gave him more trouble than 

100 



FOEGIVING 101 

anything else. He got to the point where he could 
close his jaws tight and keep from calling down the 
fellow who made him mad, but he couldn't keep from 
surging inside. He would surge when he went to 
bed, and he would be still surging when he got up — 
all inside. After a while he got to where he could 
forgive, but when the offense was repeated it was 
" all off"," and Peter would find himself surging again. 
Now the second surging was just as uncomfortable 
and made him feel as mean as the first, so Peter be- 
gan to wonder just what would be the limit, accord- 
ing to Jesus' idea, to which a man must forgive and 
then surge and feel good over it. You see, Peter 
was trying to train by the rules of Jesus, so it was 
quite the proper thing for him to ask Jesus about it 
when in doubt. A good sport is always ready to 
listen to the Coach. 

Jesus was teaching the Golden Rule, the law of 
kindness and of good-will. He had just been show- 
ing how to make peace with one who has done you 
an injury, when Peter spoke up and asked the ques- 
tion which brought forth one of Jesus' most remark- 
able parables. Peter said : " Lord, how oft shall 
my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until 
seven times ? " 

Seven times ! Think of that. It was going some, 
wasn't it ? Doubtless Peter thought so. Perhaps he 
said to himself : " Well, for once I have proposed 
something which will show the Lord that I have 
learned to be a longsuffering Peter. Just imagine it : 
Forgave him Sunday; he repeated the offense Mon- 
day, and I forgave him again ; also the same on Tues- 



102 "SAY, FELLOWS !" 

day. He deliberately did that dirty trick again on 
Wednesday, and I still stood my ground on the for- 
giving program. Thursday and Friday the rascal 
repeated the offense, and I forgave, and did it again 
on Saturday ; that was seven times, and lo ! when 
Sunday came the ungrateful wretch was at it again, 
and I'm done. Seven times! It was a wonderful 
test of my control, and I shall present it to the 
Lord " 

And what did Jesus say? Why, Peter must have 
staggered under that answer, for it revealed to him 
far more than the " four hundred and ninety times " 
program. In the light of that parable in Matthew 
18:21-35, it revealed to Peter that God had already 
forgiven so much that was sinful in him that he might 
just as well settle down to a program of forgiving 
his brother every day for the balance of his life, if he 
did not want to forfeit the forgiveness of God. No 
more surging for Peter. 

And that is what the lesson means for you and for 
me to-day. A missionary once said, " We cannot 
outgive God." It is quite as true that we cannot out- 
forgive God. And, moreover, we dare not harbour 
unforgiveness in our hearts against any fellow-being, 
for when we do it we are dangerously close to the 
edge of a fearful precipice, where one slip would 
put us — with the Tormentors. 

Let's all shake hands — hard ! 

Read Matthew 18: 21-35. 



XXIX 
PARADOX 

SAY, fellows, do you know what a paradox is? 
It is something which seems to contradict it- 
self. I saw a man hold in his hand something 
worth one hundred dollars. I would have been will- 
ing to give him one hundred dollars for it. He des- 
troyed it right before my eyes ; yet his action caused 
nobody any loss. Now there is a paradox, and it 
seems quite puzzling, doesn't it? It looks quite im- 
possible, you may say. But the explanation is very 
simple. What the man held in his hand was his own 
check on the bank. He had made a slight scratch on 
it which did not affect its value, only its neatness, 
and he preferred to tear it to pieces and rewrite it. 

Here now in the eleventh chapter of Matthew, our 
Lord in His impressive way is teaching in a paradox, 
and you may mark it well, for it indicates a specially 
important proposition. He says : " Come unto me, 
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn 
of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye 
shall find rest unto your souls." It seems queer that 
in coming in answer to that invitation you should 
have a yoke to put on. 

But your first wrong impression is that the Lord 
is sorry for folks who work. Not at all; work is a 

103 



104 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

blessed privilege. Pity the poor idler, not the worker. 
Be sorry for him who is by any cause debarred from 
working, not for the red-blooded fellow who is feel- 
ing the thrill of accomplishing something. Our Lord 
is sorry for those who are "heavy laden" while 
they work — laden with worry, with anxiety, with 
fears and forebodings — yes, even with a guilty con- 
science. 

Then the yoke. Who would think of a yoke in 
connection with rest? I suppose you fellows have 
seen oxen wearing yokes. They do not look very 
restful, do they ? Yet Jesus clearly says His yoke is 
"easy"! Well, let's see. 

For a moment, think of life as a great game. In 
many respects it is just that. It takes skill and wit 
and patience and determination to win the ordinary 
game; also the willingness to take a lot of punish- 
ment at times. There are three things about the 
game of life which are like all other games : ( i ) We 
must either win or lose; (2) there is uncertainty; 
and (3) we all want to win. But there are also three 
things true of the life game which are not true about 
other games. 

The first of these three dissimilarities is that in the 
life game you have got to play whether you will or 
no. You can beg off from a game of tennis, or 
baseball, or dominoes; but the life game you have 
got to play, willing or unwilling, sick or well, fit or 
not fit. There's no choice; you've got to play — you 
are already playing. 

Second, you must play against an adversary who 
is not only more skillful, more speedy, more enduring, 



PAEADOX 105 

but is invisible, and whom, humanly speaking, it is 
absolutely impossible to beat. Such a game! Such 
an adversary! 

But the third dissimilarity is the most remarkable 
of all, and it is the shot which carries the big news 
to-day, — there is a rule by which you can certainly 
win. Can you say that about any other game? In 
other games, your rival can apply the rule as well as 
you, but in the game of life the rule is only available 
for you, and it is an absolutely sure winner. Turn 
to your Bibles and look at it, in the twenty-fourth 
verse of the ninth chapter of Luke : " Whosoever 
will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will 
lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." 

Losing your life for Jesus — which simply means 
investing it for Him. Whatever you do, do that 
thing in His name and in a way worthy of Him. 
Your life, you know, is simply made up of the events 
of the twenty-four hours of each day. Invest each 
event with Jesus. That means your play as well as 
work. It means clean play and good hard playing to 
win, but in the way Christ would approve, honest, 
fair, chivalrous — and it is true sport, I tell you. That 
is a part of what it means, wearing Jesus' yoke, sim- 
ply doing the thing as Jesus would do it. 

Read Matthew u: 28-30. 



XXX 

FRAUD 

SAY, fellows, the greatest circus man who ever 
lived said the American people like to be hum- 
bugged, and proceeding on that theory, P. T. 
Barnum got together more animals and performers 
and freaks under canvas than had ever been seen 
before. He made a tremendous fortune. There is 
something in human nature which makes us an easy 
mark for any pretentious thing that comes down the 
pike with banners flying. The bigger the claim and 
the larger the figures, the more readily we fall for 
it, but simple things must be proved. 

When we are told there are 290,680,493,115 stars 
we accept it without question, but if there is a sign 
saying "fresh paint" we touch the paint with our 
fingers to see if it is really so. 

Fellows, there is a big sign posted all over the 
country, carrying in large letters the two words, " It 
satisfies." It is the expensive advertising propa- 
ganda of cigarette manufacturers, and the " satisfac- 
tion " they are offering you is that brief and fleeting 
sensation of being doped, so that " stern realities are 
changed to pleasant seemings." It matters not to 
them that your health and morals and money and 
life pay the cost, just so they sell their product. 

106 



FRAUD 107 

They tell you cigarettes " satisfy." It is a prepos- 
terous fake. They do not satisfy — they produce 
further craving — and they know that that craving 
grows, until the habit is formed and their " satisfied " 
victim becomes a hopeless slave — known as a ciga- 
rette fiend. There is only one drawback for the ciga- 
rette manufacturer, his consumer is too short lived; 
the cigarette devitalizes, pauperizes, and destroys. 
Like the shock troops of the German army, they must 
be continually recruited — recruited in numbers which 
almost stagger the imagination. 

Did you know, fellows, that to keep up the con- 
sumption of cigarettes at the present rate of manu- 
facture there must be two thousand new smokers 
daily to contract the habit? Nearly all these new 
smokers must be boys, for men are not fooled into 
this practice so easily. 

In a village I recently saw a large bill-board sign 
at the top of which in bold letters were the words, 
Wanted: One Million Recruits! Upon reading 
farther, I found it was the advertisement of a cer- 
tain brand of cigarettes, and the manufacturers boldly 
stated that the " one million recruits " were wanted 
to join the large and growing army of "delighted 
smokers " of their " richly blended " cigarette. 

You don't have to fall for it. You do not have 
to be one of the two thousand daily new recruits to 
the cigarette manufacturer's army of shock troops. 

But the sly wolf comes in disguise, and in this 
case the disguise is " satisfaction " offered. Once 
the wolf gets its victim it throws off the disguise and 
stops talking about " satisfaction," but simply hands 



108 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

the " coffin tacks " across the counter, and takes your 
money, health, morals, success, and real satisfaction, 
in exchange, while you — well, you proceed to drive 
the tacks, one by one. 

Says the cigarette : " I am not much of a mathema- 
tician, perhaps, but I can add nervous trouble ; I can 
subtract from physical energy; I can multiply 
aches and pains; I can divide the mental powers; I 
can take interest from work and I can discount 
chances for success." 

Dr. Heald, writing in Life and Health, says ciga- 
rettes are in many cases the direct cause of cancer, 
blindness, deafness, heart disease and dyspepsia. 
He further says they dwarf the body, benumb the 
brain and weaken character. 

That cigarettes " hinder the development of the 
body " is testified to by the following physical direct- 
ors of universities: Drs. Seaver and Anderson, of 
Yale; Dr. Hitchcock, of Ambrose; Dr. Meylin, of 
Columbia — as a result of repeated and careful meas- 
urements both of smokers and non-smokers. 

Judge Ben Lindsey says : " No pure-minded, hon- 
est, manly, brave boy will smoke a cigarette." 

" Home-Run" Baker says : " I do not smoke — never 
did. If any youngster wants advice from one who 
doesn't mean to preach, there it is : Leave cigarettes 
alone!" 

Dr. Coffin, of the Whittier Reform School, says: 
" Of the 1,700 boys who have been inmates of this 
institution, 1,670 were cigarette smokers ! " 

There is " satisfaction " for you ; no, not for you, 
but only satisfaction for the cigarette manufacturer 



FEAUD 109 

and dealer, such satisfaction as comes from ill-gotten 
gains, which after all cannot be permanent. 

Yes, " it satisfies " — the cigarette, — it satisfies — 
satisfies the devil, and he laughs, and his is the only 
real long laugh that the cigarette affords. 

The cigarette-tree is known by its fruit. Cut it 

out. 

Read I Corinthians 9: 24-27. 



XXXI 
THE BIG TASK 

SAY, fellows, some years ago France gave a 
man a large task. The man's name was De 
Lesseps, and the task was to cut a ditch 
seventy-two feet wide across Panama, to unite the 
two great oceans. Part of the cutting was to be 
through hills two hundred and fifty feet high. It 
was a big order, and although De Lesseps had the 
resources of a great republic back of him, he failed 
to deliver. Aside from the gigantic feat of digging 
and removing stone and earth, there were malaria 
and yellow fever in the swamps, which killed thou- 
sands of labourers, and there were theft and bribery 
in the financial management, which swallowed up 
the money. These things were like giants invincible, 
blocking the way against success. 

Twenty-two years later the United States tackled 
that same job. General Goethals was sent to Pan- 
ama, and he put it through. Himself a skillful en- 
gineer, confident of the success of the enterprise, and 
with all the resources of Uncle Sam back of him, he 
set to work. Surgeon-General Gorgas stamped out 
yellow fever and malaria by draining the swamps and 
eliminating the mosquito, making the canal zone 
practically a health resort. 

no 



THE BIG TASK 111 

Thus, with unlimited financial power, the latest 
discoveries of science and invention, skill, and an 
ample supply of labour, coupled with faith in the 
plan and an unconquerable spirit, the man cut 
through, two oceans came together, and the world's 
commerce passed back and forth in an endless stream. 

It was a big order, nobly executed. 

Yet, fellows, there was an infinitely bigger order 
given to those twelve faithful, believing men, when 
our Lord calmly told them to go out and do five 
things, namely : " Preach the Gospel, heal the sick, 
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out 
devils " — infinitely bigger, in that it required in- 
finitely more power. Jesus furnished the power, the 
disciples furnished the faith and effort, and the five 
things were done. 

There was the malaria of sin in the way, and 
mountains of unbelief, but they cut through, and the 
ocean of God's love, on one side, and the ocean of 
man's need, on the other, were united! 

Had you thought of it, fellows, that every Chris- 
tian is challenged and commissioned to do a big, hard 
task for Jesus ? The task is big and hard because it 
requires Almighty Power, but Jesus supplies the 
power. Our part is simply to throw ourselves into 
the job. We hesitate because we forget that God 
gives no task but that He sees us through, and the 
bigger and harder the job the more abundant and 
free is the supply of power. Our part is to proceed. 
He will see that we succeed. We take a step at a 
time; we go by the blueprints while He holds the 
future in His hand. 



112 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

"A man went down to Panama, 

Where many men had died, 
To slip the sliding mountain 

And lift the eternal tide. 
A man went down to Panama, 

And the mountain stood aside." 

That's the poetry of it, fellows, but the practical 
prose is like this: 

A shovel. 
A pick. 
And dig. 
And dig. 
And dig. 

Read Matthew 17: 14-21. 



XXXII 

POWER 

SAY, fellows, Marconi has succeeded in light- 
ing an incandescent bulb eight miles away 
without the use of a wire. It is the trans- 
mission of power by wireless. Experiments have 
also been successful in electrically guiding, starting, 
and stopping, without visible connection, a torpedo 
or even a battleship from the land or from a ship. 
The human voice has been projected through the 
ether from Washington, D. C, to San Francisco, by 
wireless telephone. 

These things are sufficiently marvellous to make 
us gasp — and yet how far they fall short of the 
things which Jesus did, as recorded in the eighth and 
ninth chapters of Matthew. The centurion's s ervant 
was sick some distance away. It would have been 
miracle enough if Jesus had gone to him, touched 
him, and healed him; but Jesus met a new brand of 
faith in the centurion, and He more than matched it 
with a new sample of His divine power. 

He simply spoke, and the man in the distance was 
instantly made well. In Hebrews 1 : 3 you will find 
this phrase : " By the word of his power. 3 ' It was 
that word which created the universe; by that word 
He had created the centurion's servant; and now by 
that same wonder of wonders He reaches through 

JI 3 



114 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

space and re-creates; He lifts the sick man off his 
bed, twelve miles away (it might just as well have 
been thousands of miles), puts him on his feet, sound 
and well, and serving his master ! 

Now, fellows, you and I can link up to that power, 
and we only have to apply for a connection ; we need 
not make a journey to get it. When we want light or 
fuel gas or a telephone in our home, we simply apply 
for it; the company connects the house with the 
supply mains, and the power comes within reach of 
our hands. But here is divine power available, and 
we do not get it because we do not ask for it. 

The centurion had unusual faith when he believed 
Jesus could command the forces of nature and be 
obeyed, just as he [the centurion] could command 
his household servants and be obeyed, and Jesus met 
that faith in a marvellously unusual way. You and 
I are continually making mistakes and failures and 
"messing things up." We want to be a success in 
life. We want everything we undertake, in work or 
play, to " pan out " well. But unseen forces are at 
work to hinder, and circumstances intervene which 
we cannot control. Here's the magic secret : link up 
with Jesus' power. 

I asked a modest tennis player how he had man- 
aged to win out in the finals against an opponent who 
was much his superior in skill and training. He re- 
plied : " I'm afraid I took an ' unfair ' advantage of 
him — I prayed to win " ; and he smiled. I heard of 
a famous quarterback on one of the big 'varsity teams 
who linked his game with prayer and got unusual 
power in the play. And why not ? 



POWEK 115 

But there is more to the secret. To make that 
"linking up" effective, it must be accompanied by 
complete surrender of the life to Jesus' authority. 
Power is unsafe unless divinely controlled — worse 
than that, it is fatal. 

Let's put the whole matter in Jesus' hands, and 

we'll have a great time ! 

Read John 4: 46-54. 



XXXIII 

CHRISTMAS 

SAY, fellows, when it was announced in the 
Edison home seventy-three years ago that a 
boy was born, and his name was Tom, it was 
a great day for the world. It was a great day for 
you and for me — though we were not yet born. 
Think a minute how it would be without the electric 
light, now illuminating every city and town in the 
world — at the touch of a button in millions of homes 
and halls and offices and factories turning darkness 
into day. It is wonderful that the birth of one boy 
named Tom should mean so much to the world. Yet 
who can say that had Edison not been born none 
would have discovered the incandescent lamp? 

It was another wonderful day when Mr. and Mrs. 
Watt announced the birth of their son James — a won- 
derful day for the world and for you and me. 
Think of how many ways steam power, through 
manufacture and transportation, adds to our comfort 
and pleasure. Yet who can say that no man would 
have discovered and harnessed this giant to serve 
mankind if James Watt had not seen the light of 
day? 

Still another wonderful day it was when the Bells 
announced the birth of a boy whom they named 

116 



CHETSTMAS 117 

Alexan3er Graham — a wonderful day for the world 
and for you and me. How would we get on without 
the telephone? Yet who can say that no one would 
have invented the telephone if Alexander Graham 
Bell had not been born ? 

But, oh, fellows, the supreme birthday of all time 
was that which was announced by the angels to the 
shepherds watching their flocks by night in the Judean 
fields ; it was that birthday signalled by a glorious star 
to the Wise-men who came to Bethlehem with gifts 
of gold and frankincense and myrrh. The birth of 
Jesus means more to the world and to you and me 
than all the other birthdays combined. Those other 
birthdays brought material blessings. The coming 
of Jesus into the world not only made possible the 
highest enjoyment of all material blessing, but — far 
more important — made possible the most wonderful 
spiritual blessing imaginable, and that is the only 
benefit which can endure through life and eternity. 

Neither can it be said that if Jesus had not been 
born some other might have brought us salvation and 
life and joy, for " there is none other name under 
heaven given among men, whereby we must be 
saved." 

Edison was used of God to give us light to read 
by ; Jesus gives us light to live by and to die by. 

Watt was used of God to give us steam power 
with which to manufacture and to haul ; Jesus gives 
us power to overcome evil which would destroy us, 
body and soul, and that power is infinitely more 
necessary. 

Dr. Bell was used of God to supply us with the 



118 " SAY, FELLOWS ! » 

means of speaking and hearing over long distances ; 
Jesus gives us connection with God and shortens to 
whispering nearness and forgiveness the long dis- 
tance of separation between an outraged Heavenly 

Father and a disobedient child. 

Read Luke 2: 1-20. 



XXXIV 
AIMING HIGH 

SAY, fellows, on the train sometimes a fellow- 
passenger becomes confidential and tells a 
story right out of his heart. One of this kind 
came to me the other day. 

There were two brothers — clever boys, keen, alert, 
ambitious. They lived in a Christian home. God 
spoke very clearly to both of them, calling them to 
lives of consecrated service for Him. 

A — decided to train for the ministry. B — said 
the ministry was poorly paid. He felt that A — 
was needlessly committing himself to a life of sacri- 
fice. He shuddered at the prospect of a poor preach- 
er's hand to mouth existence. As for him, he would 
sell his talents in the world market, where brains and 
training counted for something and brought a large 
price. Not for him the narrow life in a small corner, 
when a young man of ambition and push could live 
and have a good time in the big current. A fortune, 
a fame, and a life on the high road of ease and pleas- 
ure were the things really worth striving for, and for 
these he proposed to drive. 

Twelve or fifteen years have passed since these 
decisions were formed. A — finished his seminary 
training, was licensed as a minister, and accepted a 
little country charge. It was hard sledding, the 
salary was small, and the work was more or less dis- 
couraging, but it was a clean course and a clear road, 

119 



120 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

and he buckled down, throwing into his work all his 
resources. 

B — went to a large city and got a trial job as re- 
porter on a big daily. He had a mind for writing — 
a good vocabulary, and a flow of language which gave 
promise of carrying him to the goal of his ambition. 
He wrote verses in good style, and had had a number 
of poems in his college magazine. B — 's program, 
you remember, put special emphasis upon " having 
the good things of this life while you may." Put- 
ting the emphasis there is likely to warp one's judg- 
ment as to what are really " the good things," and so 
it proved in B — 's case, for he spent his salary on 
luxuries, and for the temporary gratification of his 
appetite and his ideas of " a good time." 

He had to call on his father periodically for money 
to pay for dire necessities. It was not surprising 
that B — 's jobs changed frequently and he went from 
city to city — the general direction of his fortunes, 
habits, and health being downward. Just now he 
has a job on a little weekly paper in a village. His 
bare pittance in these parlous days of H. C. L. hardly 
sustains his solitary bachelor existence. He is a 
broken-hearted and discouraged man — not old in 
years, but with the snap and vigour of young man- 
hood gone. He is in debt, and there is small chance 
of his getting out. He is practically a cipher in his 
community. Life is one daily reminder of failure, 
and the relentless bearing down of bitter disappoint- 
ment. 

But look at A — . He is the happy and enthusiastic 
pastor of a large and growing congregation, which 



AIMING HIGH 121 

congregation is simply "daffy" about him. They 
pay him a good salary, even as salaries go in these 
advanced times, and he is absolutely free from finan- 
cial care. He has a commodious and comfortable 
home, presided over by his wife and blessed with little 
children. His congregation recently made him an 
anniversary present of a three thousand dollar car, 
replacing one they had previously given him, of a 
cheaper make. 

My passenger companion (who, by the way, is the 
father of these two boys) said when he was at A — 's 
home recently, two dressed turkeys were sent in by 
two families of his congregation on the same day. 
His is one of the progressive churches of the state. 
It supports a number of outpost missions, " manned " 
by the members of his congregation. He is held in 
high esteem, not only in the community but in the 
state. And with all this, he seems to be only upon 
the threshold of his life-work, with a career of 
greatest usefulness laid out invitingly before him. 
Endowed, like his brother, with unusual natural 
ability, he is finding widest scope for the free play 
of all his powers ; and these powers being fully con- 
secrated, are illuminated and energized by the very 
power of God. 

Now, fellows, which of these two was wise? 
Which would you rather be? 

Truly God means what He says when He tells you 
and me to-day : " Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, 
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be 
added unto you " ! 

Read Matthew 6: 25-34. 



XXXV 
WAITING 

SAY, fellows, are you " game " to consider a 
tough little word in the language to-day ? All 
right, brace up, for it is one of the hardest 
things a fellow has to tackle, and the main reason 
why it is hard is that you can't tackle it, but have to 
wait. 

There ! I have said it — the word is W-A-I-T. 

The boys who went to France say they didn't so 
much mind " going over the top " as they did the 
sometimes long waiting and suspense which pre- 
ceded. 

In every fellow's boyhood days there are necessary 
periods of waiting; not idle waiting, mind you. The 
" prodigal son " couldn't stand it, you remember. 
" Dad, give me what is coming to me, and let me get 
away from the humdrum life of the farm. I want to 
see life ! " and he picked his fruit green and ate it. 
That poor fellow got an awful stomach-ache — and it 
was the worse ache of emptiness and not of fullness ! 

But maybe you are wondering what all this has to 
do with these three parables of the kingdom spoken 
by our Lord. Just this : they are " wait " parables. 
The servants of the man who had sowed wheat in 
his field, said : " Master, look ! tares are coming up 
with the wheat — what shall we do ? " Their master 

122 



WAITING 123 

said, " Wait." Then when the harvest ripened and 
the thing could be safely handled without injuring 
the wheat, the tares were separated and destroyed. 
A fellow struggling along, trying to do right, finding 
it up-hill work and the denial of many so-called pleas- 
ures, sees another fellow running a loose and reckless 
program, doing all the forbidden things, yet without 
injury apparently. 

It looks as though one can disobey all the rules, 
have a fine time, and suffer no setbacks. What's the 
use stinting and pinching oneself into a straight and 
narrow track when those out on the broad way are 
having all the life — and getting away with it ? Well, 
bo, you just wait. It looked awful gloomy for the 
Allies all through those trench waiting months of 
1915 to 1918; but in 1918 Chateau-Thierry popped 
through. The strength of an ally had been develop- 
ing, and there followed in rapid succession the vic- 
tories of Belleau Wood, the Argonne, and St. 
Mihiel — and Right came into its own. 

Remember, the waiting time of a boy's life is that 
time of silent growing of the moral fiber, the char- 
acter, and at the proper moment he will rise in the 
full strength of a well-rounded manhood and take 
his rightful place in the world of things, while tares 
which were ever so flourishing go to the dump heap 
and the trash burning. 

The mustard seed was very small, lying there in 
the ground. It had to wait. Even when it came up 
and looked about, it seemed there was hardly a chance 
for so fragile a stem, but it waited, and while it 
waited, it grew. After a while it became a full- 



124 " SAY, FELLOWS ! » 

grown bush, and the birds of the air came and 
lodged in it. There is a legend about trees longing 
for birds to come to their branches, some trees grow- 
ing lonesome or jealous because other trees seemed to 
be more inviting to the birds. That is much like 
human nature. We naturally like to be sought out. 
"Wait" is the watchword; keep sweet and hustle, 
and soon enough our branches will reach high and 
spread. 

The woman put the yeast in the dough, then set it 
by to wait. What a mistake it would have been to 
try to cook it at once; the bread would have been 
almost as heavy as lead, and totally unfit to eat. 
But while she waited, the leaven worked — and so 
while you patiently wait, doing God's will as best 
you know how, God works, and what a mighty 
Worker is He ! Then, as you grow, He gives you a 
part to do alongside with Him; He and you work 
together. 

Let's not be in too big a hurry for the Eats, fel- 
lows; let's work and wait — and then how good the 
Reward will taste. 

That is the style of the kingdom of heaven. 

Read Matthew 13: 24.-43. 



XXXVI 

ACTION 

SAY, fellows, there come times when a fellow 
must act, and act promptly, or lose his chance 
to clinch a good thing. In the preceding talk 
our key-word was " Wait." To-day it is a shorter, 
quicker, sharper word, and one that a boy likes 
better. A-c-t — that's it. There is movement, — 
something doing. The word is all pep, touch and 
go ! We like it, don't we ? 

When he was twelve years old, Thomas Edison 
was a newsbutch on a road running out of Detroit. 
As the train left Detroit one morning, Edison, as 
usual, went back into the first-class coach with the 
morning papers. Near the front sat two young fel- 
lows, acting very gay. They hailed everybody who 
passed in the aisle, and they hallooed out the window 
at folks and objects as the train rolled along. They 
were on a lark, and wanted everybody to know it. 

" Morning papers ! " called out Edison. 

" How much are they worth ? " sang out one of 
the jolly fellows. 

" Five cents," said Edison. 

"Oh, how much for the whole bunch?" retorted 
the young man. 

"Why," said the newsbutch looking a little sur- 
prised, " there are forty — they're worth two dollars," 

125 



126 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

"We'll take 'em," said the noisy passenger, and 
whipping out two crisp one-dollar bills, took the 
papers from Edison and handed them to his com- 
panion, who threw the entire bunch out of the train 
window. Evidently these young men had plenty of 
money to spend, and were inclined to make a sensa- 
tion and attract attention. 

Edison quickly took in the situation. " Phew," 
said he to himself, " here is a chance for real busi- 
ness," and he hurried forward to the "baggage" 
where his supply trunk was stored. He quickly re- 
turned with an armful of magazines, some rather out 
of date. 

" How much are they worth?" promptly inquired 
the young spendthrifts. 

" Twenty-five cents apiece, or $5.50 for the pile." 

" Take 'em," said the spokesman, and paying the 
money he and his companion dumped the magazines 
out of the window. 

Back to the " baggage " went Edison, and returned 
with his basket of fruit, candy, chewing-gum, and 
other things. Again the transaction, and goods, bas- 
ket, and all went through the window. 

Then Edison rushed once more to the " baggage." 
He piled everything he could lay any claim to into his 
supply box, some things old, some new, some un- 
salable, dragged the box through the train, crossing 
its open platforms between coaches with some diffi- 
culty, and at last drew up nearly breathless before 
these reckless buyers. Quickly he pulled off his coat, 
hat, collar, tie, and shoes, and piled them on top of 
the box and announced : " Everything Fye got is f qu 



ACTION 127 

sale!" The price was paid, and the young men 
directed their servant, who was near by, to drag the 
box to the back of the coach and throw it out, which 
order was obeyed. 

The newsbutch with a chuckle went forward to tell 
his friend the baggage man about his " streak of 
luck," while he fondly fingered a fat little roll of bills 
down deep in his trousers. His entire stock in trade 
had been transmuted into the coin of the realm, his 
profits were secure, his losses were nil. He had 
found a good thing, he had recognized an oppor- 
tunity, and he had let no grass grow under his feet 
while he laid hold upon it and reaped the golden 
harvest. 

Fellows, there is something like that, only far 
better, offering to you this moment. It is the treas- 
ure — not of perishable value like gold, but of eternal 
value. Jesus Christ is offering to take you into busi- 
ness with Him and let you deal with values so much 
finer and higher than anything else that the surprise 
and joy of them will last through all eternity. 

Read Matthew 13: 44-52. 



XXXVII 
A CORONATION 

SAY, fellows: This is David's big day. Let's 
enjoy it with him. Let's get in the crowd 
gathering at Hebron and see a coronation. 

And what a crowd! About three hundred and 
forty-four thousand mighty men of war — all the 
tribes of Israel were represented there that day — and 
they came over the hills of Judah from north and 
east and south to put a crown on David which would 
make him king of all Israel. 

For many years David had waited for this day. 
At the death of Saul, two tribes, Judah and Benja- 
min, had proclaimed him king, but ten of the tribes 
had crowned Saul's son, Ishbosheth, as his father's 
successor. So David waited seven and a half years 
longer, and then the whole kingdom came under his 
rule. 

Many times during those long years when a fugi- 
tive from Saul, hiding in caves or seeking the pro- 
tection of heathen kings, it must have seemed as if 
God had forgotten him, and once David did almost 
break down, but he rallied, took a fresh hold, and 
" carried on." 

Now, fellows, it must be a fine sight to see a man 
receive a royal crown, but it is a finer sight when 
there are fine qualities in a man deserving honour 
and reward. No head deserves a crown unless there 

128 



A COKONATION 129 

are crowning virtues in the life. What were some of 
the qualities in David which merited a crowning on 
that great day ? 

One was his faith. Faith in God; faith in his 
fellow-man ; faith in himself. It takes faith even to 
start anywhere, and it takes more faith to arrive. 
David's faith was of the coronation variety. 

Another was his patience. David waited. He did 
not try to force matters. Whenever God was ready — 
that was David's time. In one of his great psalms, 
he wrote : " I waited patiently for the Lord, and he 
heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an 
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet 
upon a rock, and established my goings." David's 
patience was crowned. 

Another was David's continual kindness to a foe. 
He was even kind to Saul's memory and rewarded 
the men who reverently took Saul's body from the 
wall of Bethshan and gave it decent burial. David's 
chivalry was crowned. 

But, fellows, the fine thing to know is that the 
same princely qualities can exist to-day in each one 
of us; not for crowns on our heads, but for a great 
satisfaction in our hearts. Faith, patience, and a 
knightly spirit are just as possible possessions now 
as they were in David's day. They are spoken of in 
slightly different terms by Paul in the thirteenth 
chapter of First Corinthians, — Faith, hope, and love. 
You can have them all. They are priceless, but you 
can have them if you ask for them. 

Be a prince of the Royal House ! 

Read 2 Samuel 2: 1-7. 



XXXVIII 
DO IT RIGHT 

SAY 5 fellows, down-town the other day a man 
tried to save a boy who was caught near some 
wires, and got killed himself for his trouble. 
Hard luck, wasn't it? Yet he had nobody to blame 
for it but himself. He took hold of a wire which 
carried the electric current for the street cars. He 
broke a law of nature and got punished. There was 
a way he could have gotten the wire away from the 
boy. A Boy Scout did it later with a pole. 

Just the difference between touching with the hand 
or touching with a stick — very little, perhaps, but 
the law of electricity made the difference important, 
so that the one meant death — the other, life ! 

Now here comes along King David trying twice to 
move the ark of the Lord up to Jerusalem, where it 
ought to be, the first attempt proving fatal because 
he was foolish enough to try to handle it as the 
Philistines did, instead of doing it strictly by the rules 
God had made — rules which David should have 
known very well, because they were in his Bible 
(Num. 4:4-6, 15; also 1 Chron. 15:11-15). The 
rules required that the ark should be carried on poles 
resting on the shoulders of certain men set apart for 
that service, but David permitted them to put it on 
an ox cart, attended by Ahio and Uzzah 3 two 

130 



DO IT EIGHT 131 

meaning fellows, no doubt, but not according to the 
rules. One of the oxen stumbled, the ark jostled, 
and Uzzah put his hand on it to steady it. Presto ! 
Uzzah a dead man on the side of the road ! 

They called David from where he was marching 
at the front of the procession, and when he got back 
there and saw what had happened, it gave him an 
awful shock, for he knew he was just as guilty as 
Uzzah — and perhaps more so. He ordered the men 
to take the ark into Obed-edom's house beside the 
road and be careful to pick it up by the poles. Then 
he went on back to Jerusalem without it. He got out 
the Book of Numbers and went over the rules about 
the ark very carefully. For three months he studied 
the matter. Then he went after the ark again — this 
time in God's way. He called for the priests and 
the men appointed to carry the ark; he organized a 
band and a great choir of singers, and went to Obed- 
edom's house. There they picked up the ark by the 
poles and started. Still David was scared, and when 
they had moved forward only ten yards ("six 
paces ") he made them stop, while a sacrifice of oxen 
and rams was made to the Lord. 

David was overjoyed when he saw everything go- 
ing well, and he began to dance and to sing. All 
the way to Jerusalem he danced and shouted for joy. 

David thought a lot of the ark, because it meant 
the presence of God, and that meant in this case the 
blessing of God. As he grew older and wiser he 
had greater reverence for God's house and all the 
holy things which were tokens of God's presence. 
In one of the psalms he wrote : 



132 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

The Lord is in His holy temple; 

Let all the earth keep silence before Him. 

The least a boy can do for God's honour is to keep 
quiet in church. 

The best a boy can do for himself is to put God 
at the very center of his every interest — the fear of 
God, love for God, and reverence for all His holy law. 

Take hold as God says, and everything will go fine ! 

Read 2 Samuel 6: 1-11. 



XXXIX 
KEEPING FAITH 

SAY, fellows, it takes a real sport to live tip to 
a promise when conditions shift on him. If 
there is a streak of yellow in his system he 
will find some way to kick out every time. Life is 
a big game, and it takes a real man to play it on the 
square — if only square and no more. 

But, fellows, what can you say about that one man 
in a thousand who plays the game of " Remember 
and Pay " as finely as David did ? 

Young gentlemen, please meet Mephibosheth, this 
man of the twisted feet and outlandish name. Kings 
did not usually choose such to live in their courts 
and sit at the royal table. Only the fine-looking men 
and beautiful women were invited to become mem- 
bers of the king's household. 

But, worse still, this Mephibosheth, being a grand- 
son of Saul, was at any time a possible pretender to 
the throne. It was the custom of kings to get rid 
of such. Not so David. When he finds out about 
the poor cripple over there across the mountains east 
of the Jordan, he sends for him and invites him to 
come and live at the palace in Jerusalem. 

Now you will find David's promise to Jonathan in 
i Samuel 20: 14-17; and his promise to Saul in 1 
Samuel 24 : 20-22. David had only agreed that when 
he became king he would not kill Saul's descendants. 
He could have fulfilled his promise by simply allow- 

J 33 



134 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

ing Mephibosheth to live as he was doing, visiting 
around, kind of sneaky like, without any pocket 
change, among the few friends who would take 
him in. 

What do you suppose Mephibosheth thought when 
the messengers showed up one morning at Machir's 
house and called for him to appear before the king? 
Scared to death, don't you think? No doubt he 
thought it was all over for him now, except the 
" slow driving and music on the hill." Why, when 
he came before the king he bowed clear down to the 
marble floor, doing obeisance, and called himself a 
dead dog. Then, what happened ? He had to pinch 
himself to see whether he was dreaming. He never 
got over the surprise of it as long as he lived. King 
David helped him up on his crutches and told him to 
cheer up, for from that time forward he should sit 
at his table, and be as one of the king's own sons. 

More than that: with all the thoughtfulness and 
fine courtesy of a Christian gentleman, David turned 
over to this cripple his grandfather Saul's estate, to- 
gether with Saul's servant, old Ziba, with his fifteen 
sons and twenty slaves, to till the land. That was to 
provide Mephibosheth with an income. 

Now, what do you know about that, fellows? It 
was playing the game of kindness to win, wasn't it? 
Win what ? Why, to win the satisfaction which can 
only come to one who keeps his promise — and then 
some, for good measure ! 

Yes, it takes even more than a good sport to do 
that. It takes one who is willing to be Christlike. 

Read 2 Samuel, Chapter 9. 



XL 

THE GAME THAT CAME NEAR BLOWING 
UP IN THE SEVENTH INNING 

SAY, fellows, have you heard the sorrowful 
news about David? Too bad! Just as we 
were beginning to think David, with his fine 
manly ways, his love for God's honour, for God's ark, 
his bravery, his fairness and kindness — just as we 
were thinking he would make a clean record to the 
end of the game, now here comes an awful flunk ! 

It's kind of like when the score is 2 to o, in favor 
of the home team, and we are feeling good — then all 
of a sudden in the seventh inning the boys go all to 
pieces, and let the other side put four men across the 
plate. 

Strange how David fumbled and played badly 
when he had had such a long winning streak, but so 
it must ever be when you get the idea you're "it" 
and can't slip. David let down, and away down. 
Fellows, would you believe it if it were not in the 
Bible — he broke all the commandments from the 
sixth to the tenth, inclusive. God says whatsoever 
a man sows, that shall he also reap. David sowed 
the wind and reaped the whirlwind. Absalom, his 
son, committed all the sins his father did, and added 
some, for he broke the fifth commandment also, and 
broke his father's heart. 

*2$ 



136 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

David was very fond of Absalom, and would have 
clone anything for him, but that boy didn't appreciate 
it. He was a good-looking chap; the girls admired 
him, and a lot of foolish fellows hung around him, 
flattered him, and made him vain. 

Absalom had the big-head. If there is a sorry sight 
upon earth it is a fellow that is stuck on himself. 
Absalom was conceited and proud. He wanted even 
to be king in place of his father, and was unwilling 
to wait for what would have come in due time. 
Many a fellow spills the beans by being unwilling 
to wait. He ruins his best chance by trying to pick 
the fruit before it is ripe. If there is ever a time 
when patience is golden it is in the time of youth. 
A boy wants to stop studying and training, and take 
a short-cut to fame and success. It is usually a bad 
mistake. 

Absalom's blunder was fatal. He tried to land on 
his father's throne by treachery ; he landed in a tree, 
caught by his head. He thought to win a crown; 
he got three hot darts between the ribs from Joab. 
He planned to have a pile of wealth quickly gained, 
but by the end of the week his handsome form was 
buried deep beneath a pile of rocks. Ever after- 
ward when an Israelite passed that monument of dis- 
honour, he picked up a stone and cast it upon the 
heap to show his contempt for the memory of a dis- 
loyal son. 

Oh, fellows, the tragic day of a boy's life is when 
he decides to throw over a good father. No matter 
what prize is offered. It may be to get more liberty ; 
it may be to escape restraint or rebuke, but it is a 



THE SEVENTH INNING 137 

bad trade at best. Ordinarily a boy's best man friend 
is his father. If this does not seem to be the case, 
usually it is because the son won't allow it. Many a 
father longs, like David, for his boy's confidence and 
companionship. Many a boy could have in his father 
the finest chum imaginable, if he would give his 
father a chance to show him what a real chum is. 

Fellows, let's give Dad some of that fine Scout 
loyalty and watch him warm up to it. He may have 
some chum qualities you never thought of. 

Read 2 Samuel 11: 1-27, and 
2 Samuel 15: 7-18. 



XLI 

THE BITTEN APPLE 

SAY, fellows, I was visiting a boy friend one 
afternoon and while we played his mother 
called him. Wondering if there was anything 
wrong, I waited and listened while he answered the 
summons. I could hear her speaking to him as she 
said: " Bob, here are two apples — one for you and 
one for Wade." 

Then I waited, and as Bob did not return at once I 
stepped to the corner of the house to see what kept 
him. That fellow was sitting on the step digging his 
teeth into one of the apples. I thought : " Well, 
that's polite, starting on his own before he gives the 
other to his guest ! " It rather disgusted me. Di- 
rectly Bob came round the corner, kind of sheepish 
like, and what do you suppose he did? Well, fel- 
lows, he offered me the bitten apple! 

That was enough for me. Take it ? I guess not. 
I turned on my heel without a word and went straight 
home. I don't think anything ever inspired more 
contempt in me as a boy than that piece of petty 
thievery. 

Of course, fellows, that was not a Christian way 
to treat an erring playmate, and I fear I had very 
little charity in my heart; I am just telling you 
frankly how that act of Bob's impressed me. And 
it was only in the beginning of Bob's eventful career. 
Twenty-five years later, Bob's name was in the daily 

i 3 8 



THE BITTEN APPLE 139 

papers all ever the country. He had gotten away 
with a big sum of money that belonged to others who 
had trusted him, and now he is a poor hunted fugi- 
tive from his native land, if indeed he is alive. 

The boy who begins taking just a bite of some- 
body else's apple is likely going to pull off something 
big some day! 

Suppose Bob's mother had handed him seven 
apples and asked him to save one of them for her, 
and he had made away with the whole lot, don't 
you think that would have been pretty mean and low 
down? 

Listen, fellows, something mighty close to that — 
only a lot worse — is happening with boys to-day who 
look upon themselves as the souls of honour. I am 
just wondering if they fully realize it. It is not in 
their relationship to mother, but to God their heavenly 
Father and creator. He has placed in your hands 
and in mine, each week, seven full twenty-four hour 
days. He says, " Six for you and one for Me." 

He trusts you to keep that One Day, the Sabbath, 
for Him. How do we discharge that trust? Are 
we worthy of it? God does not lock us up in a dark 
room on Sunday and handcuff us and chain our feet 
to the floor. No, He trusts us; He prefers to trust 
us. He wants us to honour His laws about the Sab- 
bath, of our own free will. That is the kind of 
service God likes — willing service. 

And, fellows, you cannot abuse that trust and 
escape the penalty. God has commanded in His 
Word, " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but 



140 "SAY, FELLOWS !» 

the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: 
in it thou shalt not do any work." No man, no boy, 
can continually break the Sabbath day and get away 
with it. Sooner or later he will come to sorrow 
because of it. 

On the other hand, God distinctly promises blessings 
upon those who honour His Sabbath (Isa. 58 : 13, 14). 

Fellows, God is the best " payer " that ever prom- 
ised. He always pays more than He promises. His 
day concerns our happiness, our health, our pros- 
perity, our usefulness, our success. All these vital 
issues are involved. 

And I am going to tell you just one more fine 
secret. It is a nugget of pure gold. The best way 
to avoid violating God's Sabbath is to get busy 
honouring it with service — service to Him. Go regu- 
larly to Sunday-school and to church service — and 
go on time. You will find something to do there. 

Spend your Sabbath afternoon in the study of 
God's Word, read some good book that will feed 
your soul ; spend some time in some work of mercy. 
Take a bit of something good to eat to the poor fel- 
low in jail and tell him you do it because you love 
Jesus Christ and are trying to serve Him, and want 
him to love Christ and serve Him, too. You will 
find it a short day, but, oh, such a fine and happy 
one, and you will go to bed refreshed. Next morn- 
ing you will wake up whistling and you will turn off 
work at the store or at school like a forty-horse 

tractor. 

Read Exodus 20: 8-1 1, and 
Isaiah 58: 10-14. 



XLII 
MY KINGDOM 

SAY, fellows, I heard a boy quoting Shake- 
speare the other day. He was coming out of 
a movie with two other boys, just as I was 
passing. They had probably been in there an hour 
or more, for they seemed glad to get out in the fresh 
air. But the boy's exclamation was what caught my 
attention ; it was this : 

" My kingdom for a cigarette ! " 

To be sure, Shakespeare makes Richard III say, 
" My kingdom for a horse ! " — the boy changed a 
word; and it was just a careless remark expressing 
his craving for a smoke, but it raised a question in 
my mind: Did that young fellow realize he said a 
very important and true thing? When Richard III 
cried out, " My kingdom for a horse ! " he was dead 
in earnest; he was fighting for his very life against 
overwhelming odds, and he was really willing to sur- 
render his kingdom for some swift means of getting 
away from that desperate scene of carnage. But if 
the cigarette boy had been faced pointblank with the 
proposition I do not believe he would have agreed to 
give up his kingdom for the " coffin tack." 

Yes, this boy had a kingdom; every boy has a 
kingdom. 

As I paused on the corner, the three boys entered 
141 



142 "SAY, FELLOWS !» 

a store and quickly came out, each with a cigarette in 
his mouth, taking deep inhalations and expelling 
smoke through lips and nostrils as they sauntered 
down the street. 

I was still thinking of the boy's kingdom. 
Through a wonderful plan God, the Creator, puts 
each boy over an empire. Perhaps you may think 
it is a small one, but to him it is greater and means 
more for his success and happiness than any empire 
on earth. God places a scepter in each boy's hand 
and says, " Govern ! — Rule over your kingdom ! " 
And it is a very wonderful kingdom, with four splen- 
did provinces called Physical, Mental, Social, and 
Spiritual. Each of these provinces is capable of pro- 
ducing great values and making rich and powerful 
almost beyond belief. 

God also places at each boy's hand the resources 
for fighting off the enemies of his kingdom. This 
defensive armament, which is also for building work, 
in part consists of common sense, information (or 
education), will-power, determination, aspiration, and 
physical strength — and to make each of these ef- 
fective, He gives His Word and sends His Holy 
Spirit to guide and sustain. If a fellow just realized 
it and would use what God puts in his hand he would 
have a kingdom he wouldn't exchange for Solomon's. 

But, fellows, what a pity when a boy will exchange 
his kingdom for a cigarette; in comes the cigarette; 
down goes the physical province — the cigarette des- 
troys the delicate tissues of the mucous membrane; 
down goes the mental province — the cigarette makes 
the mind dull and listless and takes away its snap 



MY KINGDOM 143 

and vigour ; down goes the social province — the ciga- 
rette makes its victim shun the best and seek the 
lower grades of social life and activity; down goes 
the spiritual province, the most precious of all — for 
spirit chokes and dies in the atmosphere of the ciga- 
rette and its inevitable accompaniments. 

This, of course, is just one of the enemies of a 
boy's kingdom; I have spoken of it particularly be- 
cause it is the one which seems to catch boys off their 
guard most easily. There are many others. In- 
temperance of any kind is an enemy to the best in- 
terests of your empire. Send out a proclamation to 
yourself, to-day, and put all provinces on notice that 
you are on your throne and God is your Counsellor — 
and that henceforth none of the kingdom's enemies 
will be admitted across the border. 

Read I Corinthians io: 9-15. 



XLIII 
A TOOL BOX 

SAY, fellows, on one of my boyhood birthdays 
I received a tool box. It was a peach of a 
tool box, too ; not one of the dime store vari- 
ety, with a saw the same length as the gimlet, but 
with a set of tools that no amateur carpenter would 
despise. I was greatly delighted with that tool box, 
and immediately began planning the things I would 
make. Mother wanted a shelf on the back porch 
and a coop for an old hen just off with her chicks; 
my dog needed a dog house, and I even aspired to a 
rowboat for the pond. I could hardly wait for mate- 
rial before getting to work. Fingering over those 
tools, my eye fell upon a motto graven on the inside 
of the lid of the box. It read: 

Be Sure You Are Right — Then Go Ahead 

Very good advice, I thought ; but perhaps intended 
for fellows who knew less about tools than I did. I 
guessed I was not so apt to make mistakes, knowing 
so well what I wanted to do, and being so determined 
to do it. Several dollars' worth of lumber and nails 
were laid in, and I entered at once upon the work of 
"general manufacturing." Fritz was wagging his 

144 



A TOOL BOX 145 

tail and barking as if he had scented the dog house 
in my plans, so I decided to attend to that first. It 
would have been better to start with the shelf, as that 
was simpler; but I slashed away on the dog house, 
and soon had some stuff sawed up for the frame- 
work. It didn't match. I sawed some more, and 
that didn't match. I began to think perhaps Fritz 
didn't specially need a dog house anyhow ; so I tried 
to work the dog house materials into the chicken 
coop, but that wouldn't go, either. Then I sawed 
some more for the chicken coop. It was not as 
simple a proposition as I had thought it would be, 
besides there was a confusion of design somehow in 
my mind. The day wound up with nothing accom- 
plished, except a lot of good material butchered to 
the point of kindling wood only. Next morning I 
tackled something I "knew I could do," — the shelf. 
But that proved to be a surprisingly obstinate job; 
the supports I sawed at different angles, and when 
trying to force the joints together by nailing, I split 
them both. The shelf was a failure. 

Then I saw a light. 

I was rather dejectedly pondering the situation as 
I stood by the tool box, and my eye fell again on 
that motto ! In not one instance had I made sure I 
was right before I went ahead. My zeal had been 
without knowledge. I had mistaken " Purpose " and 
" Determination," as the high prerequisites, instead 
of " Being Sure I was Right." 

Fellows, Saul the Pharisee had zeal without knowl- 
edge. He blazed away upon the presumption that 
Jesus was an impostor. Why, the Jesus idea was 



146 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

preposterous, Saul mused. God's Kingdom was to 
be set up with a great capital at Jerusalem and a 
great and powerful king on the throne to whom all 
the world around would come and pay tribute. Any- 
body who claimed that the King had already come 
and been crucified like a thief was a dangerous 
fanatic and should be haled to prison or put to death. 

This brilliant young Pharisee, carefully trained in 
ecclesiastical law and the traditions of the elders, 
went forth bitterly persecuting the followers of 
Jesus — even witnessing and approving the cruel ston- 
ing of Stephen. This showed Saul's Purpose and 
Determination, which he mistook for being Right. 
Well, we know that after that Saul suddenly " saw 
a light " ; but think of the havoc Saul wrought before 
he came to his senses. Think of the Service Time 
wasted. Think of the fine Material destroyed — sawn 
asunder. Think of Stephen ! 

Fellows, are you building anything these days? 
Are you sure you are Right? Or are you just blaz- 
ing away at something because you have warm red 
blood and all the zeal and purpose of youth ? There 
is one thing each one of you is building. You are 
building a Life. Oh, fellows, be sure you are Right, 
for it is the most important structure you will ever 
put up, and remember that "other foundation can 
no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." Be sure you are right — then go ahead. 
When your life is built on Jesus, you may go forward 
with confidence. Any other way means wasted 
time, wasted material, regrets, disappointment — and 
Failure at last. 



A TOOL BOX 147 

1 1 have not built my house on sands, 

Tho' golden sands there be; 
I have not built with greedy hands 

A building fair to see; 
But my house on a solid Rock, 

And not the Builder I, 
But guest in house to stand the shock 

When tempests rend the sky. 
I^o, Christ! the Builder of my house, 

He laid foundation stone, 
So reck I not if storms carouse, 

For He will hold His own." 

Read Acts 7: 59-8:3- 



XLIV 
SAUL NIAGARA 

SAY, fellows, if there were two hundred rail- 
road tracks out there, and on each track, every 
moment, passed a freight train carrying fifty 
cars, each car holding fifty tons of water (maximum 
load for the largest tank car), the two hundred trains, 
with their ten thousand cars per minute would not 
be more than sufficient to carry away the water as 
fast as it tumbles over Niagara Falls. With crush- 
ing and destructive force that mighty volume plunges 
downward into a great stone bowl which it has carved 
out for itself, so deep that if the Woolworth Build- 
ing were set down in it not more than half of it 
would show above the top of the Falls. Engineers 
have estimated the total energy of Niagara Falls at 
sixteen million horse-power ! 

Fellows, I think of the life of Saul, afterward 
known as the Apostle Paul, as somewhat like Niagara 
River. The great river flows majestically, uninter- 
ruptedly, more than half of its length, having a fall 
of not more than twenty feet in twenty-two miles. 
Then suddenly something happens. Something tre- 
mendously tragic and startling happens. It plunges 
headlong over a precipice. Here is power gone mad. 

148 



SAUL NIAGAKA 149 

Saul, the Pharisee, the scholar, the zealot — the 
colossal mind — sweeping everything before him like 
an irresistible tide, riding upon the crest of power, 
haling men and women to prison, breathing out 
threatenings and slaughter and making havoc of the 
church, fell headlong to the earth, as a blinding light 
burst forth from heaven and the voice of the Lord 
sounded in his ears — the " still small voice," yet 
mightier than the roar of any cataract. 

" Who art thou, Lord ? " "I am Jesus whom thou 
persecutest." " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do ? " Saul's conversion was complete. Convert 
means to turn about. It means an entire change; 
not to be robbed of one's powers, but to have those 
powers diverted into another and entirely different 
channel. 

Look again at the Falls — that great destructive 
mass tumbling over the cliff, beating rocks to pieces 
and slashing gigantic gorges in its course. What is 
happening? Science is harnessing the power of the 
cataract and with it producing light and heat and 
power for the cities of Canada and the United States. 
Darkness is dispelled, warmth takes the place of chill, 
the wheels of industry are humming, and men and 
women are enabled to live and make bread for their 
little ones, because of the conversion of a mighty 
force into life-giving usefulness. 

Fellows, some people seem to think to accept Christ 
as the Master of their lives means to take away or 
paralyze their powers — to deprive them of some spe- 
cial activeness they possess and which they shrink 
from giving up. Bless you, there could not be a 



150 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

worse mistake. To accept Christ means to have 
those same powers, even though they might have 
been devoted to evil, now turned into channels of 
finest, highest service — the kind of service that really 
satisfies the cravings of the human heart. I see a 
boy who, because he is of an intensely sociable dis- 
position, seeks the companionship of a gang of fel- 
lows around the loafing places and pool-rooms in the 
evenings. Touched by the spirit of Christ, those 
social qualities will be even more enthusiastically de- 
voted to winning other young people into Christian 
life and service. I see a young fellow with an un- 
broken will, glorying in his freedom, as he sees it, to 
resist the counsels of wiser ones against his evil 
habits, cigarettes or any other destructive thing that 
may have gotten into his life. That same will-power, 
that same stubbornness, touched by the power of 
Christ becomes the rock-ribbed steadfastness that has 
enabled men to put through great achievements for 
God. I see a boy who can invent much devilment 
and get himself and others into an almost incredible 
amount of trouble and sorrow. It might be the judg- 
ment of some that " killing is the only thing good for 
him," but touched by the spirit of Jesus, that boy 
becomes a veritable genius for doing effective things 
to promote the Kingdom of God — and no fellow in 
the community happier than he. He verily throbs 
with the joy of living. 

No, fellows, you don't turn a river back up-stream 
to convert it; you simply harness it, and its powers 
flow on, but for good and not for destruction. If 
you want to be a power that blesses wherever it 



SAUL NIAGAKA 151 

touches, and dashes back into your own heart the 
spray of the salt and the tang of the fresh morning 
air, hear to-day the Voice of your Master, and quickly 
answer: " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? " 

Read Acts 9: 1-19. 



XLV 
"TURNING THE BATTLE AT THE GATE" 

SAY, fellows, now and then a thing happens 
which sets our blood tingling and makes every 
nerve in us want to send up a mighty shout. 
For instance, when the score is against us in the 
ninth inning, and with two men out and the bases 
full, our pinch hitter comes to bat, coolly waits, picks 
out the " good one," and swats the pill over left-field 
fence! Or when Hindenburg's hordes are pouring 
into the Marne wedge, almost to the gates of Paris, 
Foch calmly waits — and prays while he waits — then 
at the crucial moment hurls those chafing reserves 
against them, turns disaster into victory and enshrines 
the names of Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and 
the American Marines in song and story for ages to 
come. 

Fellows, every life is a campaign, and it is the 
biggest game of all ; into this great contest come crises 
now and then, and the way we meet them largely de- 
termines the result. If those crises have not begun 
to come in your life, let it be the sure sign to you that 
God is holding them off while He gives you the op- 
portunity to make the necessary preparation for 
them, for come they will. There will be times when 
the storm is breaking around your head and the 
ground will seem to be crumbling beneath your feet. 

152 



" TURNING THE BATTLE AT THE GATE » 153 

Such times come to every fellow who sets his face to 
a principle and determines to stand like a man, no 
matter what it costs. 

Fellows, Paul was that kind of a man. He had 
that steadfastness to principle, that firmness of pur- 
pose, which gave him poise when all about him was 
tumult. Other men lost their heads ; Paul kept cool. 
It was a critical moment around the temple court 
that morning; the Jewish mob was murderous, the 
Roman chief captain was petulant, and he was cold 
and relentless as steel. 

Paul had to handle both on separate grounds to 
keep them from " handling " him — and both at the 
same time. He shrewdly " played both ends against 
the middle." He drew from his quiver two keen but 
entirely different arrows, and both "went home." To 
the chief captain, he whispered one small word, "I am 
a Roman citizen." That made the grim warrior's jaw 
drop. It thoroughly frightened him and gave him 
such profound respect for his prisoner that on a later 
occasion he did Paul a very vital service. 

To the mob of Jews clamouring for Paul's life, 
Paul having gained the chief captain's permission, 
turned and informed them in the Hebrew tongue that 
he was a better Jew than any of them, and he made 
out his case so well that they listened — and before 
they realized it, Paul had accomplished his object 
and delivered his shot, which was to proclaim Christ 
as " that Just One," the Saviour of the world — in- 
cluding the despised Gentiles. The Truth had gone 
home, and they gnashed their teeth, tore their own 
clothes into shreds, and threw dust into the air, while 



154 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

Paul was taken into the castle for further examina- 
tion and, for the time being, was safe. 

Fellows, baseball does furnish now and then a 
moment's thrill — and thank God for the clean game; 
a world war makes the earth tremble for many 
years — and may the Lord have pity upon its vic- 
tims; but Paul was grappling the Big Event upon 
which Eternity shivers — the Disaster of rejecting 
Jesus Christ ! And as we look upon Paul's life, his 
superb manner of meeting great crises as they came, 
how he held not his own life dear, we think of one 
of the great sayings of the prophet Isaiah : 

"In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a 
crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the 
residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to 
him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to 

THEM THAT TURN THE BATTLE AT THE GATE." 

Fellows, if you and I want a career that will give 
highest satisfaction now, and will best bear record in 
Eternity, let's make Christ at once its dominant 
Theme and sustaining Power ! 

Read Acts 21: 27-40 and 22: 1-24. 



XLVI 
A KING IN RAGS 

SAY, fellows, a little ragamuffin — so the story 
goes — was being set upon by a mob of larger 
boys in the streets of London many years ago. 
These big bullies were jeering him and throwing sticks 
and cans at him. The little fellow was plucky and 
defiant, and it made them all the more cruel. 

Suddenly there appeared in the crowd a tall 
swarthy young fellow slashing the tormentors right 
and left; until, after a stiff and unequal fight, in 
which the rescuer was greatly outmatched in strength, 
the cowardly ruffians were put to flight. That little 
ragamuffin was no less a personage than the King of 
England, and the curious circumstance by which he 
got into those rags and into that cruel torture is told 
by Mark Twain, in his most interesting story-book, 
" The Prince and the Pauper." 

In a later chapter we see the little king restored to 
his rightful place upon the throne, and there amid 
the splendour of the court with all the lords and 
ladies looking on, a tall, swarthy young man advances 
and kneels and is knighted by the king. It is the 
same young man who broke through the crowd, and 
at the risk of getting his own head cracked took 
the part of the helpless little ragamuffin, not knowing 
he was a king. 

That sounds like a romance — and it is ; but, fellows, 
the same thing in all its interesting elements and its 

155 



156 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

happy outcome is happening to-day in the streets and 
homes of your town and mine. All about us there 
are folks being set upon — cruelly set upon. The 
tormentors may not be ruffians in flesh and blood. 
They may simply be cruel circumstances. Some- 
times fire, sometimes sickness, sometimes financial 
loss, sometimes accident, sometimes a combination of 
a number of pestering calamities, getting the victim 
down and making life very miserable in mind and 
uncomfortable in body. 

Now think of the folks in your block, fellows ; how 
many of them are in some sad plight which would 
make you shrink from exchanging places with them? 
They are being set upon; can you get in there and 
help in some way, — you with your good free strong 
arm, your big, sympathetic heart, your pocketbook, 
your resources of interest and fun ? 

And whom will you choose to help, and why? 
Will it be Tom Jones up here on the corner, who 
broke his arm and needs somebody to come sit with 
him and talk, — Tom Jones, who is rich and has a car 
of his own, and who will likely share it with you 
when he gets well, if you are good to him? Or will 
it be little Willie Bell over there across the railroad, 
who is a hopeless cripple, whose folks are poor as 
anything, and who can probably never repay you in 
any sort of way? 

Do you know, fellows, why some folks choose the 
Willie Bells to help? Why, it is because they love 
Jesus Christ. They believe God's Word as it tells us 
in to-day's wonderful passage in Matthew : " Then 
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, 



A KING IN EAGS 167 

ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the world: for I was 
hungry, and ye gave me to eat ; I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; 
naked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick and ye visited 
me. . . . Then shall the righteous answer him, 
saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, 
or naked, or sick — and helped? . . . And the 
King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say 
unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least 
of these, ye have done it unto me." 

You see, fellows, it takes some faith and some 
imagination. Ask God to give you, first, Faith. 
Then ask Him to give you a consecrated Imagina- 
tion. Then you will see in every unfortunate person 
that you can help — you will see your King. You 
have His own word for it, to justify that imagination 
and to confirm it. 

Oh, yes, you may sometimes in your zeal help 
somebody who is unworthy. Don't let the fear of 
that make you miss the blessing. The very fact that 
you go to him in the name of your Christ and for 
His sake, may be the means of helping that poor un- 
worthy one to cast off his rags of sin and become 
clothed in the righteousness of your King. 

I tell you, fellows, it is a wonderful thing to be in 
the service of such a Master. All your efforts for 
Him are given full value. Even your mistakes, if 
honestly made are transmuted into the gold of satis- 
faction. Let's launch out for Him, to-day. Let's 
take Him at His word, and see how it works. 

Read Matthew 25: 31-46. 



XLVII 
SHAKING UP PHILIPPI 

SAY, fellows, that was one exciting day in 
Philippi. Not since Mark Antony's Roman 
legions went tearing- through to meet and 
destroy the armies of Brutus and Cassius, nearly a 
hundred years before, had the town been so shaken 
up; and all because of two inoffensive looking Jews 
who had quietly walked in there and told about Jesus 
Christ. They had come over the winding road from 
Neapolis, nine miles distant on the seashore, where 
they had gotten out of a ship from Asia. A poor 
crazy girl, a fortune teller, heard the message, her 
heart was changed and she became sane and normal; 
it put an end to her " fortune telling " and this en- 
raged her masters, who had Paul and Silas arrested 
and put into prison. 

That created some stir, but it was nothing to what 
was to follow. The jailer seemed to take special 
pains to make his prisoners secure, putting them in 
an inside cell and making their feet fast in the stocks. 
These fellows looked so unworried that he probably 
suspected they had a well-laid plan to escape. The 
jailer was further surprised to hear the two prisoners 
singing — actually singing some of their hymns, 
though they must have been in great discomfort. 



SHAKING UP PHILIPPI 159 

Away into the night they sang. The other prison- 
ers heard them and marvelled. Surely these new 
jail-birds had something which they, the old ones, 
did not possess. The jailer, as he retired, doubtless 
remarked to his wife : " Well, there's something un- 
canny about those two men; here it is midnight and 
they are singing and going on like two schoolboys 
on a picnic excursion ! " 

He hadn't been asleep long, when a brick fell out 
of the mantelpiece near the jailer's bed and the furni- 
ture about the room began to dance a jig. Mrs. 
Jailer screamed and the children began to cry in 
terror. The door creaked and pushed off its hinges, 
falling with a slam-bang. The jailer jumped and 
landed in the middle of the floor. A flash of light- 
ning put a photograph on his staring eye that he 
never got rid of to his dying day. The prison walls 
were cracked and falling, the doors were down and 
the dazed prisoners were groping about. 

Alas, poor jailer, the thing of all most dreaded 
was about to happen — his prisoners would escape! 
Earthquakes were bad enough, but the sudden 
thought he got of himself answering to the governor 
next morning with his life for the escape of those 
put in his charge was more than he could bear. 
Reaching for his sword he placed it, hilt to the 
ground, to fall upon its point and end his life right 
there; — then he heard a clear voice coming through 
the darkness: " Stop! don't do that. We're all here; 
nobody wants to get away." 

It was one of those psalm singing Jews ! he recog- 



160 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

nized that at once, and putting up his sword he called 
to his wife to light the lamp quick and bring it; 
then he rushed into the cell where Paul and Silas 
stood, their feet free from stocks and hands un- 
manacled, and fell down on his face before them. 

" Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? " And the 
Philippian jailer was thinking about the peril of his 
soul, for like a flash it had been revealed to him 
that these men were from God. Paul's answer came 
quick and true : " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." And thy 
house — for Paul saw behind the jailer his crouching, 
trembling wife and children. Paul told them all 
about it then, and as the blessed truth came into their 
hearts, they stopped trembling and began to find new 
hope in Jesus and a new joy in service. Imme- 
diately, the jailer and his wife got basins of water 
and washed the bruised stripes on the backs of the 
men. They saw in those stripes the suffering 
Saviour's wounds which they would like to soften; 
very differently they had viewed them the evening 
before. Right there Paul baptized the whole house- 
hold, and quickly afterward the jailer straightened up 
the tumbled down kitchen stove and Mrs. Jailer 
cooked something good and savoury for the men of 
God to eat. 

Fellows, it ends like a fairy tale, which says " they 
lived happy ever after," for the record says the jailer 
" rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house." 
And in this one word, " Rejoiced," I would like to 
hand you the strangely wonderful and fine thing in 



SHAKING UP PHILIPPI 161 

to-day's lesson'. Rejoicing puts the climax of satis- 
faction of joy into any experience. Let it stand the 
test proof of rejoicing and you've got the true value. 
If believing in and serving Jesus Christ could bring 
rejoicing to a jailer and his household under such 
circumstances, surely then we can better understand 
the force of Paul's word to Timothy when he speaks 
of " the living God, who giveth us richly all things 
to enjoy." 

Here is a jailer. A jailer's office at best would not 
be much of a rejoice shop. This jailer's life is in 
jeopardy when his prisoners escape. His jail is 
cracked open, the doors are down and he cannot shut 
them. The prisoners are walking about. At day- 
light he must reckon with the authorities. Yet he is 
rejoicing. And the secret of his rejoicing is in his 
believing — believing God. 

Fellows, it means everything to believe — to believe 
like the Philippian jailer did. He not only accepted 
Christ and was baptized, but he immediately began 
to minister to Christ's servants. It was the one way 
in which he could in those first moments of his be- 
lief express his faith, and he did it. " Inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

This is the thing which is crowned by Rejoicing. 

Read Acts 16:16-34 



XLVIII 
GO IN YET— AND WIN! 

SAY, fellows, look in upon three interesting 
personalities — Paul, Barnabas and Mark; each 
one widely differing from the other two, yet 
their lives bound up together in the biggest enterprise 
the world ever knew— the winning of the world for 
Christ. 

They are planning another big " hike " — one that 
will be full of hardship and perils, and Paul and 
Barnabas are having a hot discussion about Mark. 
Barnabas wants to take him and Paul wants to leave 
him — and why? Well, last year when they were 
taking a trip of this kind, Mark left them and went 
back home. Paul says he's done with Mark; if a 
fellow hasn't got a backbone better than a stick of 
spaghetti, he doesn't want to load up with him. 
Barnabas, on the other hand, thinks a lot of Mark; 
in fact, Mark is his nephew and he has a strong 
interest in him. He knows Mark made a mistake 
back there in Pamphylia, but who does not make a slip 
sometime ? " Let's give him another chance ; he will 
make good because he is deeply sorry ; I have talked 
to him and I know that he is determined to redeem 
himself." 

" No," says Paul, and his jaw is set ; " I would like 
to give him another chance, but the Cause is too great 

162 



GO IN YET— AND WIN ! 163 

and too important to take chances on a fellow who 
has thrown a chance away." 

So it goes. Both men are determined, and there 
happens the only thing that can happen under such 
circumstances ; they separate. Paul chooses Silas as 
his companion, while Barnabas takes Mark with him. 
Barnabas was one of the biggest-hearted fellows you 
ever saw. His very name means, " Son of Consola- 
tion." He couldn't bear to see a fellow denied the 
chance to make good. Paul, himself, had been be- 
friended in that same way by Barnabas at Jerusalem 
only a few years before. Humanly speaking, it was 
through the friendly offices of Barnabas that Paul 
had risen to prominence in the church. 

Fellows, I am not criticizing Paul (far be it from 
me), because Paul was doubtless conscientious in his 
stand about Mark ; but let me tell you fellows — don't 
ever miss a chance to help some poor fellow who has 
made a mistake, to make good. One of the finest 
things that will come to your experience will be 
seeing your touch of sympathy and encouragement 
put life and hope into some unfortunate " Down but 
not out." 

What happened to Mark? Why, he made good. 
He made so good that Paul afterward sent for him, 
and he and Paul put through some great schemes 
together for Jesus Christ. And that was not all ; one 
of the four Gospels bears Mark's name. Think of 
what an honour that was ! Peter got him to help him 
write it. Yes, Mark made good. 

I heard of a fine young fellow the other night, only 
eighteen years old, who because he had made a 



164 " SAY, FELLOWS ! » 

mistake — had made a bad break and lost his job — who 
knowing he was himself to blame — had formed some 
habits that contributed to his downfall — for all that 
was hopelessly dejected and actually saying he wished 
he could die. Well, what do you think of that ? With 
all the best and biggest part of his life before him, 
with youth and health and loving parents, and some 
good friends ready to help him, wanting to die! 
Piffle! 

Do you know, I just wanted to slap that fellow 
on the back and bring him to his senses. Make 
good ? Of course he could. " Come back ? " Sure ! 
There is just one thing to do with a failure, fellows. 
Get on top of it with both feet and bury it — with 
success. 

I heard of an old horse, too old and sick to work. 
His owner wanted to get rid of him but was unwill- 
ing to shoot him. The old horse just wouldn't die. 
He was that spunky. One day, he dropped into a 
well in the pasture, but he hit the bottom still upon 
his feet. His owner, thinking it a chance now to rid 
himself of his horse, took a shovel and began vigor- 
ously shovelling the dirt in to cover him. But as 
each shovel of dirt landed on the horse's back, he 
shook his skin, like horses do, and trod the dirt down 
under his feet. Soon, the horse's back appeared at 
the top of the well, and in another moment the old 
fellow climbed out and began to crop the grass. 

"You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that? 
Come up with a smiling face. 
It's nothing against you to fall down flat; 
But to lie there — that's a disgrace. 



GO IN YET— AND WIN ! 165 

The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce. 

Be proud of your blackened eye! 
It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts; 

It's how did you fight — and why." 

Fellows, what must be the opportunity for rising, to 
a fellow whose God says to him : " My grace is suffi- 
cient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in 

weakness ! " 

Read Acts 15: 36-41. 



XLIX 
GREEN FRUIT 

SAY, fellows, did you ever spend two days mak- 
ing a kite and just about the time she was all 
ready, bridles adjusted and tail properly bal- 
anced, it set in to rain ? 

Can't you see that beautiful thing, done in blue, all 
spangled over with silver stars, leaning up there in 
the corner, panting for its maiden voyage into the 
empyrean? And you have wound on a stick a fine 
strong cord from the ball you purchased and hold it 
in your hand as you stand by the window, looking 
with disgust and disappointment at what seems to be 
developing into " a United States rain." No, son, 
you might as well get a book and settle down for the 
afternoon, for there is no kite-flying to be done to-day. 
Thank your silver stars if you get her up by to- 
morrow ! 

And right here, fellows, make a note of this: 
whenever you are balked in a scheme, stopped in your 
plans — right spang up against a stone wall ! — ninety- 
nine times out of a hundred it will prove a godsend 
and a blessing to you in the end — IF you take it 
right. 

I wish every fellow could get the habit under such 
circumstances, of stopping still a moment and saying 

166 



GKEEN FEUIT 167 

to himself: "Hey here, this thing has a meaning — 
what can it be ? " That will yield a better dividend 
than fretting over the interruption. As a rule, he 
will discover something he can be doing while he 
waits, something that immensely strengthens the main 
chance. 

When Lord Clive, " the founder of the Empire of 
India," sailed from England for Madras, at the age 
of eighteen, all impatient to enter upon his life plan, 
storms overtook the ship and so far diverted her 
course that within a month young Clive found himself 
stranded in a port of Brazil instead of India. There 
he had to remain nine months before he resumed his 
voyage ; but what did he do ? Chafe over the inter- 
ruption and delay? Bless you, no; he seized the 
opportunity to master the Portuguese language, which 
accomplishment proved to be a tremendous asset later 
on, in his great constructive work in India. 

Paul and Silas, as they travelled through those 
provinces of Western Asia Minor, all afire with their 
great purpose of preaching the Gospel, met blank 
disappointment. Upon arrival at each point they 
were confronted with an unmistakable message from 
the Holy Spirit to keep their mouths shut. What 
could it mean? What was the use? Should they 
give it up? Should they sit down and sulk? No, 
said Paul, we will keep agoing; the Lord will show 
us what He wants us to do when He is ready. And 
sure enough, the big orders came one night in a 
vision to Paul, in which a man appeared and de- 
livered to him the great Macedonian Call — the call 
which opened up to that patiently waiting servant 



168 "SAY, FELLOWS!" 

"God's Greater Plan" for his life — a far more 
splendid one than he had ever dreamed of. 

Fellows, I cannot give you any finer thing out of 
that period of Paul's life, so full of fine things, than 
the thought of patient waiting upon God's plan — His 
plan for you. And it does not mean to sit still; 
rather the contrary. " All things come to him who 
'(hustles while he) waits." That is the revised version 
of an old saw, and I like it better. 

Here is a sad case of a young fellow I know. He 
had an ambition to shine, but he wasn't willing to do 
the tedious grinding and polishing so vitally neces- 
sary to shining. He had a chance at college, but he 
also wanted to be a social lion, all too soon. He could 
not afford it in the first place; he couldn't spare the 
time from his studies, in the next place ; but he spent 
his dad's money anyhow and he let his classes go 
bang. He did the social stunt — on credit. Result: 
he got E's and F's on his grades and he was shipped. 
The faculty regards that kind of a student as demor- 
alizing to the morale of a first-class institution. In 
fact he could not be called a student; he was an 
" inmate," and it is hard to make an alumni out of 
inmates. 

This young fellow landed back home for the sum- 
mer, " out of luck," in debt, and a cruel disappoint- 
ment to his doting parents. He had done the social 
stunt, but he picked the fruit before it was ripe, and 
now it's hurting him inside. 

He flew his kite in the rain! 

He decided he would make good by being a civil 
engineer. He wanted to be a civil engineer right 



GBEEN FEUIT 169 

away, but when he started in he found that the first 
stages of civil engineering consisted in carrying a 
chain and a rod up and down hill in the heat and 
taking orders from a smart chap who looked through 
a telescope and made notes, so within a few days 
he quit; he wasn't willing to pay the price. He 
thought he would play the violin, but he wasn't will- 
ing to spend hours practising the scales and simple 
fingering, so he laid aside the violin. He wanted 
to play Schubert's Serenade right off, but on learning 
the cost, he contented himself with whistling it. 

Fellows, he is of the sort that make up the great 
throng of fourth-raters in the world to-day, drifting 
here and there; or settling down with a family on 
his hands and a little two-by-four job to eke out a 
bare living. And you fellows may as well face this 
fact : you've got to stint, if you're going to pull off a 
stunt. No stint, no stunt. Stinting is only another 
name for work and patience and economy combined, 
and it brings its inevitable fruit — Success ! 

Read Acts 16: 6-15. 



L 

THE BEDOUIN SLAVE 

SAY, fellows, I heard a story from the banks of 
the Nile which stirred my blood. It may be 
only a legend, but it contains a big thought, 
and I want you to have it. All day upon the hot 
sands the battle had raged, and as the sun was setting 
a Bedouin chief fell, mortally wounded. Quickly his 
watchful body-servant eased his master's dying form 
from the back of the Arabian steed and dragged him 
out of the thick righting to a protected spot where he 
might say his last word and die in comparative quiet. 
The chieftain's words were few but significant. He 
simply said to his man : " Go and tell Allah that I 
come." The loyal slave knew what it meant : only his 
spirit could carry a message like that, and the clay 
house it occupied must be destroyed before the spirit 
would depart. 

Possibly he hesitated as his hand grasped the hilt of 
his dagger, for life was sweet even to a slave; back 
home was a slave-maid in the house of his master, and 
she had been promised as his bride upon return from 
this campaign in the valley of the Nile. Many a day- 
dream of the future had served to shorten the tedious 
marches over the hot sands as he rode beside his 

170 



THE BEDOUIN SLAVE 171 

master. Long after the camp was asleep the slave 
gazed at the star which seemed to guard her whose 
life and future were bound up in his own. But only 
a moment he paused; one more look at his chief, 
whose fast ebbing blood stained the sand upon which 
he lay — this chief who was not only his master by 
right of actual ownership, but one who had been al- 
ways his benefactor and friend — one searching look 
into the eyes whose merest glance he had learned to 
interpret for a last sign of recognition; then with a 
firm, unfaltering hand he drew his blade and thrust 
it deep into his own heart, that his spirit might be 
free to fly "to Allah," with the announcement of 
his master's coming. 

Now, fellows, there is something fine about that, 
even if it be only a romance. Loyalty that rises to 
the height of complete self-forgetfulness challenges 
the best that is in us. But, after all, the picture falls 
to pieces because it is built upon a false faith and a 
suicide. I am glad that you and I can to-day, in real 
life, take part in something finer — something requir- 
ing just as superb loyalty, and for a Cause that is 
really worth the best that is in us. 

Jesus Christ is the Chief of all chieftains. His 
last words upon earth were, " Go ye — tell them." 
They were not the words of a dying chief, but of one 
gloriously alive and triumphant over death, the last 
and greatest enemy of all; not the command of one 
powerless in the presence of his foes, but one who 
could say, " All power is given unto me in heaven and 
in earth ; " not a master who must send his obedient 
slave on a fearful and futile mission alone, but one 



172 "SAY, FELLOWS !» 

who girds his courier with the assurance, "And lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 

Saul caught a great vision of service when Jesus 
spoke to him in the way. Prostrate upon the ground 
in the blinding light, Saul did not say, " Lord, let me 
die ! " He said, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
live and dot" You and I may say just as big and 
fine a thing as that to our Lord to-day. Jesus' com- 
mand to Saul was in substance, " Go ye — tell them." 
It is the same to you and me. 

Will it cost you anything to obey? Yes, it will 
cost you your life. But not in the hopeless way the 
Arab's slave gave his. Your hand is on the hilt of 
the dagger, but Jesus is not requiring a man so much 
to die for Him these days; He is calling for living 
couriers, those who will give their lives in life for 
Him. So you plunge the dagger deep into — not your 
heart, but your false pride — that thing which keeps 
you back from " announcing " your Master's Name. 
You plunge it deep into that thing in your life plan 
which would interfere with a real program of wit- 
nessing for Jesus. With God's help you stab that 
habit of thought or act which stifles your impulse to 
do His will and embarrasses you in trying to serve 
Him. It is what Paul meant when he said to the 
Galatians, "And they that are Christ's have crucified 
the flesh with the passions and lusts." 

Fellows, every one of us can be a herald of our 
Master's coming to the souls about us who have not 
realized His near approach. No matter what our 
" business " or " profession," if it be a fair and honest 
one we can make it a help to our witnessing. There 



THE BEDOUIN SLAVE 173 

is no proper relationship in life which may not af- 
ford the opportunity to tell about Jesus Christ and 
His deathless love. 

Saul became a messenger of Christ for his whole 
time. Comparatively few are called of God into the 
ministry; but every boy should seriously face the 
question, under God's guidance, whether or not he 
be one of those few. Take a pencil and draw a 
vertical line on a sheet of paper. On one side the 
line put down the reasons why you should go into the 
ministry; on the other side, the reasons why you 
should not. Be honest with yourself and with God. 
Weigh each reason, for or against, upon your knees. 
Ask God to give you a clear vision of the course He 
wants you to take. With all the earnestness of your 
soul, ask Him, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do?" Be still and listen. And then, fellows, you 
will hear that unmistakable but " still small voice," 
and He will send you forth surefooted in a path 
plainly marked. 

Oh, fellows, it is great to have clear running orders, 

with such a Message and such a Master! Don't 

miss it. 

Read Matthew 28: 16-20. 



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